Weird School, Same Weird Students
by Krizzie
Summary: School, when asked about it, most students say Boring! or Yawn! without any care at all. The hardworking ones say it’s great and a great place to learn but a certain boy’s view about it is different. For Genzou Wakabayashi, school is what you call… WEIRD.
1. Chapter 1

**Weird School, Same Weird Students**

**By: Krizzie**

**Summary:** School… when asked about it, most students say "Boring!" or "Yawn…" without any care at all. The hardworking ones say it's great and a great place to learn but a certain boy's view about it is different. For Genzou Wakabayashi, school is what you call… WEIRD.

**A new story! This will be my make-up story for the lousy outcome of when Two Teams Live Together. Thanks for those who supported that story even though I had MAJOR writer's block!**

**Chapter 1**

_**Nov. 14, 2005 Monday**_

_Today, school has been less different. The students are still there, so are the teachers. Nothing has really changed over the weekend. Same Nankatsu High. I wonder how things will turn out today. Maybe something new would happen, well, I hope something would… TURN THIS SCHOOL TO NORMAL!_

Genzou Wakabayashi closed his notebook softly, heaving a sigh. All his frustrations had been burdened in this book and saved most of the students from being pummeled by the fists of the infamous goalkeeper.

He looked up. Noticing that the history teacher has nothing new to say, he opened his notes once more and looked at the very first page.

The page where he kept most of his observations during his first encounter with these people. Yes, yes, as much as it was too weird to be true, Genzou Wakabayashi does observe. He shook his head before looking up at his classmates. Nothing has really changed.

_I met a few people today and I haven't met even at least one normal person. I wish someone would turn out, say he's normal, he plays soccer and he gets along with goalkeepers like me just fine. Fat chance. Here's who I've met so far…_

_Bettina Bokwins – the RABBIT girl. She has two oversized front teeth and to make her even grosser, she eats RAW carrots for lunch. She ALWAYS wears this oversized shirt with some geeky writing no one can understand except her and carries a rotting rabbit's foot with her everywhere, saying to everyone that it's her lucky charm. I swear I don't want to sit with her during lunch. _

_Terry Hisashime – the girl from China. She's weird actually… well, everyone here is weird. Her desk is surrounded by black candles and sand. She drew a circle around her "territory" and she paints her face BLACK! Freaky!_

_Jerry Hisashime – He's Terry's twin brother, in short, he's also a Chinese. He's a freak for Math and always shouts out whenever the Math teacher comes in. He has a knack for purple polka dotted polo shirt. And catch this, Ishizaki, the star snooper once told me that he cleans his underwear with his spit! Remind me never to come near him during home economics._

_Fukiyu Manabu – the girl who loves pink. She wears a pink uniform though not allowed in school, carries a pink handbag, dyed her hair ultra pink, applies nothing but pink whatchamacallits… oh yeah! Make-up… a pink maniac!_

_Bakayaro Takishima – As stated in his name. A brainless idiot. He wears an old table cloth over his clean uniform. Stays away from the sunlight (His desk is located at the far end of the room). He believes in vampires and wears a garlic necklace around his neck all the time. Have I already said he's a brainless idiot?_

Genzo sighed, closing his notes once more before he got carried away. The school bell would ring any minute now, and yet, he didn't care one bit. His eyes returned from the clock towards his notes.

He had records for every student in the school. He was surprised with what he accomplished but what the heck? Who gives a damn?

As soon as the teacher said goodbye, Genzou strode off, making sure he took his book with him. He didn't want scandals roaming around the campus. That's the reason he never reads his notes aloud.

He met up with Hajime Taki, Teppei Kisugi and Mamoru Izawa on the hall. He has written about them as well. On his notebook, a lot of evil secrets linger that he was 99 sure he was the only one, besides the person concerned, who knew it.

99 because it was too embarrassing.

1 because who knows? They might've told somebody else! Or someone discovered it besides him. It was highly unlikely though. As he said… it was too embarrassing.

"Hey guys!" Genzou greeted bluntly, raising his soccer ball on one hand. Teppei and Hajime greeted him with smiles and waves. Izawa merely gave him a nod, the poor guy was still sleepy from all that history.

"Guys! It's practice time!" Yuzo Morisaki yelled from the end of the corridor.

"Coming!" the three chorused before running towards the pitch.

Genzou stood on his usual place before the net. He was correctly positioned and his eyes were staring dead ahead at where the ball was but his mind was wandering someplace else.

He was thinking about his school. How come it was weird? Not only were the students weird but those weirdoes include his teachers! There was this new teaching personnel last year who-

Genzou was too preoccupied to see a ball aimed straight for his face. And it was too late when he noticed it hitting his blank face.

It was the shooter, Mamoru Izawa who first noticed it. He jumped up.

"Yatta! I shot a goal against Genzou Wakabayashi!" the forward exclaimed jumping up. For a second, Genzou considered revealing Izawa's secrets but thought the better of it.

They would all know about his data-collecting and send him to the guillotine for it.

He'd rather keep quiet. Hard to imagine him really thinking…

A girl from the stands cheered. Genzou turned around and groaned. It was Yuki Tamane, captain of the non-existing cheerleading club. She was the only member! His mind darted back to his weird notebook. He had memorized Yuki's part.

_Yuki Tamane – the captain of the invisible cheerleading squad. She once had a crush on Tsubasa but told everyone she'd rather see him with Sanae. She gave up Matsuyama for Yoshiko and Jun for Yayoi. _

He wrote that selection a day after he transferred to Nankatsu High and enrolled at the soccer club. She was the manager along with Sanae Nakazawa and Kumi Sugimoto.

He had lots more of entries about her, during the month he was her target. He remembered one by heart. Mainly because he read it billions of times before, every time quivering from what seems to be his worst memory.

**_November 17, 2005 Thursday_**

_I never believed it when Kisugi told me that the weird girl that screams at the stands was crazy over me. I mean, she was obsessed with everyone! Even with the Captain Tsubasa, have I told anyone I hate him for shooting goals against me? But frankly I don't care anymore. He may help me become better and then I would be better than him. Anyways, they were laughing at me at the locker room and Misaki gave me a sympathetic pat on the back. I asked what it was for and he whispered back that it was an encouragement. He once was a victim of Yuki Tamane but she left him for that player from Toho. Ken Wakashimazu, the karate guy who is also my rival at goalkeeping._

_I didn't understand it at first but when I was on my way home I DID understand. They weren't exaggerating when they told me she was crazy. She really was! She followed mE home with that stupid camera of hers at hand! She rang my doorbell a million times before giving up but by that time half the neighborhood had the reason to assassinate me. I have to buy a new doorbell tomorrow. Darn that woman and her retarded brain!_

"Go Izawa-kun!" she said in an overly-sweet voice that made him and Izawa shudder. Yuki giggled.

He knew she's a hopeless romantic and had a crush on almost every boy on the soccer team. Genzou was, note the past tense, one of them and he didn't enjoy her following him around all day.

And now Genzou thinks that the evil girl's crush on nice Taro had blossomed once again. It disappeared once, for Ken Wakashimazu from Toho High, but now that crush turned to vapor and the love for Taro Misaki had grown once again.

Genzou smirked. He was absolutely right. She was hopeless. His face turned towards Taro, who was celebrating with the overjoyed Izawa.

To his absolute shock and horror, the said girl, carrying her pom-poms rushed towards the team.

"Guess what!" she chirped, looking excited.

_Too excited._ Genzou thought, inching away from her.

"What?" Shingo Takasugi asked.

"What?" Ishizaki repeated the smirk of seeing Genzou miss a goal still not wiped out. Genzou chose to ignore him.

Yuki waved her pom-poms on the air, a large grin pasted on her face. "My friend's coming!"

Now, that statement caught Genzou's attention. Yuki was too ecstatic to be befriended by any of his fellow classmates.

"You seriously have a friend?" Genzou blurted out.

Yuki frowned. "Of course I do! Who could resist me?" she said, pouting.

"Oh sure, who could resist you?" Genzou muttered sarcastically. Yuki switched to mad mode. Her pout turning into what seemed to be a grin but turned out to be teeth clenched with anger.

"YOU INCONSIDERATE, SELF-CENTERED, EGOISTIC BASTARD!" she screamed at his face but Genzou was all too used for that. Those five words were her main dialogue to him whenever she's mad.

Yuki growled. She decided to focus her attention to the rest. "Anyway, I'm sure you'll find her interesting-"

"If she's nothing like you." Genzou interrupted. Yuki felt a vein popping on her forehead but decided to shrug it off.

"Well like I was saying, before this asshole butted in, she's really nice and…"

Izawa cut her off this time. "Save the deets Yuki."

Taro smiled, agreeing. "We'd like to know her personally."

**Not too much weirdness here but you'll have a lot more of that on the upcoming chapters! Please review lovelies! That little purply button over there is waiting for you!**

**Oh! In case you didn't get it. Deets is a slang word for details. I got it from a book I read.**

**Sayonara**

**Krizzie**


	2. Chapter 2

**Weird School, Same Weird Students**

**By: Krizzie**

**Summary:** School… when asked about it, most students say "Boring!" or "Yawn…" without any care at all. The hardworking ones say it's great and a great place to learn but a certain boy's view about it is different. For Genzou Wakabayashi, school is what you call… WEIRD.

Disclaimer: I don't own Captain Tsubasa, if I did, Krizzie would be there to wreck havoc on the team! Ha! Ha! Seriously, I don't own it.

AU The happenings in this story do not match on the original storyline of the anime or mangga. Obviously, since Genzou was a student in Nankatsu rather than in Shutetsu together with Hajime, Teppei and Izawa. I hope you understand.

"Talking"

_Thoughts and notebook entries_

SHOUTING OR EMPHASIZED WORDS

**(Small author notes)**

Thanks for the reviews!

**Chapter 2**

_**Nov. 15, 2005 Tuesday**_

_Ugh… we would meet Tamane's friend today. I can't believe I'm admitting this but I'm shivering right now and I have a hunch why. I probably developed a phobia from crazy fan girls. I must admit, I'm not as good-looking as most guys (I'm waaaaaaaaaaaaay behind Jun Misugi) but I have no guilt in saying that I'm attractive. (What? I am!) God, why am I even thinking about this stuff! I'm supposed to be absent today but damn my curious mind! Okay, teach is coming. I better act as if I'm innocent. What am I babbling about? I AM innocent!_

Genzou slammed his book shut. Relief took over him when the teacher didn't notice his action but that didn't take away the dread he was feeling ever since he woke up at the break of dawn.

Yuki was smiling broadly two seats to his right and he knew what was coming.

A new girl would come in.

The soccer team were waiting too, to meet this girl who Yuki had had said to be the bestest best friend or whatever shit like that. He shifted in his seat.

Genzou frowned. He seemed to be the only one who was dreading this moment. Why? Just because he had made up his mind that whoever had the guts to befriend Yuki was worse than her. Last night, he had been thinking what she would look like.

The image in his mind right now was not so pretty. He imagined she would have her burgundy hair in braided pigtails that hung loosely over her chest. She would always lug a load of books in her arms that had very pale complexion, along with the rest of her skin. She would have two oversized front teeth like the ones on Bettina Bokwins. She would also wear this oversized pair of glasses that would always slide down her flat nose.

And Genzou decided, that she would have a shrill, high-pitched voice that could rind anyone's ears. In short, he decided she would be a weird nerd… not so nice even for a guy with a wretched mind like him.

Genzou nodded, he was satisfied with his image, yet, it didn't stop him from shuddering. He hadn't made up his mind about her personality but he was just so certain that she would be WEIRD.

Genzou was preoccupied with his thoughts but the word, "Enter." rang in his ears. He closed his eyes, sitting still for a moment, waiting anxiously for the sound of the door opening and thundering footsteps and a scream as the girl tripped at the front of the whole class.

The door did open but he didn't hear any loud stamps nor did he hear a scream. He heard the sound of the door slamming close and then soft footsteps making its way towards the teacher.

Genzou forced himself to look in front. At first, he saw a pair of clean white running shoes. His gaze traveled upwards and met a pair of jeans that was folded until it reached just below the owner's knee. He saw a blue sweater and noted the loose black hair that scattered themselves among it and finally, a pair of serious amber eyes, with thin-rimmed glasses that aligned perfectly with her nose, which was looking straight at him.

Genzou looked away abruptly. Had she seen him observing her? He hoped not.

"Class," their teacher said in a booming voice. "This is Krizzie Kurisaki, a transfer student from South America. Kurisaki-san, please tell us some facts about yourself."

Kurisaki gave a small smile to the teacher before bowing in front of the class. She looked up and Genzou was once again, gazing at those deep brown orbs.

"I'm Krizzie Kurisaki, I came from a school in South America, where my mother is staying. My parents are divorced, if you need to know. She's a white American but she chose to live there for a reason I am not aware of. My father is Japanese and I am currently staying with him.

I love soccer, mysteries, horror and I hope that someday I would grow up to be a private investigator."

She bowed to end her speech. Genzou smiled. He knew a lot of girls that would rather screw the whole town than see a murder scene, but there were a lot of girls saying that they like to see one. Genzou snorted at the idea.

"Let's just see them do it." he said once to Tsubasa while eavesdropping on girls discussing the subject. He cleared his thoughts before staring again at Kurisaki, now making her way to Yuki, who had an empty seat beside her.

He looked their way and realized that Fukiyu Manabu, the pink maniac, had taken the seat. Yuki was obviously pissed while Kurisaki looked like she didn't even care. She looked around and her eyes landed on Genzou.

And then he realized it. Fukiyu Manabu was originally sitting on front of HIM! She walked over and sat at the empty chair in front of Genzou.

Yuki was glaring at him; he could feel her gaze burning the side of his face. She was mad especially after he had revealed his distaste for her friend even before meeting her.

She was right to accuse him, after he just blurted out the possibility that her friend was impossible to even exist. He was the first to oppose the Yuki Tamane but somehow, and it might be a good thing, it didn't bother him.

Although honestly speaking, he liked it better when she followed him like a good servant.

He must remind himself never to say that to her. Yuki could be a killer if she wanted to be. Currently, she was the MVP… Most Violent Person. Good notebook, keeping his secrets about the absurdity of Nankatsu. He didn't what he would do if someone happened to even peek at it. He was writing on it everyday!

He tried to look over to the teacher but somehow his eyes landed on Kurisaki. Giving up, he opened his notebook.

…_supposed to be absent today but damn my curious mind! Okay, teach is coming. I better act as if I'm innocent. What am I babbling about? I AM innocent!_

_Well, the devil had thus arrived and now sitting in front of me because that stupid pink-crazy Manabu just went over beside Tamane! Oh well, she might be better company than the girl who talked about nothing but PINK!_

_Krizzie Kurisaki – she's Yuki Tamane's friend and I have a feeling that she wasn't as I thought her to be. Maybe she would be slightly better than Yuki but I don't care about that. Now, at least during this period, she's sitting in front of me. I wonder if she'll be normal. God, I hope so!_

When he looked up, Kurisaki was standing, reciting a passage from the book they were reading.

Gulping, he took his own book and searched for the words she was muttering. Good thing he did, because the teacher picked him next.

All too sudden, the bell rang and Genzou almost kissed the bell. He grabbed his bag and dashed to the pitch. He had a bad day. Kurisaki was in each and every one of his classes, apparently, she had the same schedule as Yuki, who happened to be in all his classes as well, duh!

Too bad for him, he met with a couple of teachers, reminding him that he shouldn't be dozing in class.

_Yeah, yeah_ Genzou thought, waiting impatiently for the art teacher to release him. He was going to be goddamn late! _Tell it to someone who cares!_

Finally, the teacher let him go, his last words being. "Art should be embraced by everybody."

Genzou scowled. Art was nothing for him, soccer was better. Who would want to grow up and sketch in a blank paper?

**(No offense to artists! I love drawing myself!)**

He sighed when he reached the pitch, seeing that the boys were all there. He had a tension-filled day; all because he was thinking what it will be like if he knew the transfer student better AND because he was constantly being butchered by his teachers. That was an exaggeration.

Kurisaki was quiet in class but he reasoned it was because there was never a seat beside Yuki, what rotten luck for those girls.

"Wakabayashi! Hurry up!" Sanae yelled, hands on her hips. "What the hell took you so long?"

Genzou waved at the pissed off manager. "No apparent reason ma'am, I'm just late because I am."

Sanae waved him off with her right hand. "Whatever Wakabayashi-kun. I've had enough of your antics."

He smirked. "Sure… sure… just tell me straight that you love me."

"I'd rather tell a dying chicken." Sanae muttered.

"Yeah." Genzou muttered, now putting down his bag. "and that dying chicken is Tsubasa."

And without another word he ran to the pitch, leaving Sanae with her face burning.

The team practiced their shooting under Tsubasa's watchful eye. The falcon gave orders and corrected mistakes like a good captain and he was doing that over and over again for ten minutes until Yuki Tamane arrived, pulling with her the new Krizzie Kurisaki.

The practice was halted and everyone crowded around the two girls.

Yuki giggled, seeing their enthusiasm. "This is my friend Krizzie Kurisaki, as you all might know."

The said girl was scowling. Obviously, she didn't like being dragged a good ten meters. Nobody did.

"Nice to meet you." she muttered, glaring daggers at her so-called friend.

Yuki merely laughed.

Sanae stepped up and offered her hand. "My name is Sanae Nakazawa, Yuki's co-manager in this team. Over there is Kumi Sugimoto, the third manager."

Kurisaki nodded.

"I'm Tsubasa Oozora."

"Team!" the boy bellowed. "Introduce yourselves!"

The whole team cringed, but otherwise gave their names.

"Teppei Kisugi"

"Hajime Taki"

"Mamoru Izawa"

"Taro Misaki"

"Yuzo Morisaki"

"Ryou Ishizaki"

"Shingo Takasugi"

The names went on and on and finally only one guy was left.

He gulped. He didn't know why the hell he was nervous.

"Genzou Wakabayashi"

Kurisaki nodded once again but didn't give the sign that she cares. Genzou snorted. "Thanks for the attentiveness." he muttered.

No one heard him. He made a note not to make his voice too loud.

"So…" Kumi said, not being able to take the silence. "What do you do for fun Krizzie?"

"None of your shitting business Sugimoto." Kurisaki replied, making it a point to call the girl by her last name.

"Uh… sure Kurisaki-san." Kumi replied, getting her point.

Kurisaki sighed. "I'm in a bad mood." she muttered.

Yuki giggled. "I thought you woke up on the wrong side of the bed."

Kurisaki glared at her friend. "Shut up Yuki, if my head wasn't throbbing right now, you could very well be hanging on a tree with a black cat by your side!"

Yuki wasn't fazed. "I'm sure next time; your head will be just fine."

"I hate you."

Yuki giggled again. "I love you too Krizzie."

Genzou watched the exchanged with amusement. It really would be interesting to see how things turned out tomorrow.

Unseen, he slipped out and opened his notes, scribbling a quick note.

…_I wonder if she'll be normal. God, I hope so!_

_She seems to have a weird relationship with her friend, Yuki Tamane. When Yuki talked about her, she told us that she's sweet, now Tamane's practically pissing her off. I wonder if she's a real hothead. _

**Done! What do you think of the second chapter?**

**Genzou was a little too… soft at this one but on the upcoming chapters… I'll give you a hint. **

**FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! **

**PLEASE REVIEW!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Weird School, Same Weird Students**

**By: Krizzie**

**Summary:** School… when asked about it, most students say "Boring!" or "Yawn…" without any care at all. The hardworking ones say it's great and a great place to learn but a certain boy's view about it is different. For Genzou Wakabayashi, school is what you call… WEIRD.

Disclaimer: I don't own Captain Tsubasa, if I did, Krizzie would be there to wreck havoc on the team! Ha! Ha! Seriously, I don't own it.

AU The happenings in this story do not match on the original storyline of the anime or mangga. Obviously, since Genzou was a student in Nankatsu rather than in Shutetsu together with Hajime, Teppei and Izawa. I hope you understand.

"Talking"

_Thoughts or Genzou's notebook entries_

SHOUTING OR EMPHASIZED WORDS

**(Small author notes)**

Thanks very much to the lovely reviews I received!

**Chapter 3**

_**Nov. 16, 2005 Wednesday**_

_It's Kurisaki's second day and to her luck she got paired up with Fuuko Tooshime, the class nerd, during P.E. I feel sooooooo sorry for her. Please note the bucketful of irony._

Absent-mindedly, Genzou flipped the pages of his almost-filled notebook and turned to the third page, which recorded the happenings when he met said girl. He groaned, memories came flooding back.

_Fuuko Tooshime – Ms. Science addict. She's a redhead with dark green eyes that always seem to spark whenever she's doing an experiment. She's got average grades in English and Math but other than that, her grades were high, well, except for P.E. What's weird about her is that he chose to wear these very large glasses though her eyes don't need them that much. For Christ's sake, she's got 20/20 eyesight! Well, I got paired up with her during English and man! It's safe to say I was better than her… well… I think. And she has this squeaky voice that I can't really stand._

_Oh yeah, she got addicted to me… shudder… said she loves soccer so much and she was proud that she had the chance to speak with me. I only nodded at her compliments. They meant nothing to me. Then she began stalking me! She PURPOSELY sat next to me during lab time and I had to do an experiment with her, not that I minded. She was great and she did EVERYTHING and I got the same grade without any effort!_

He turned the page. He knew what came next. Fuuko asked him out, he refused and she tried to electrocute him using a soccer ball and the goalpost as a trap. She was almost like Yuki except for the fact that she could use science to help her with her plans. Yuki uses brutal force. But still, they're still the same.

He sighed, flipped the pages back and continued writing.

..._ sooooooo sorry for her. Please note the bucketful of irony. Fuuko was TERRIBLE in Physical Education and when the teacher announced a three-legged race I knew Kurisaki had been condemned._

_Yuki was paired up with Bettina Bokwins, too bad. She was frowning big time and sending puppy-eyed looks at Sir Shiroya who was muscle-bound man with a woman's heart. Oh yeah, weird combination._

_I was paired up with Izawa, much to my extreme relief. The guy's been one of my first friends! I grinned at Yuki, who in turn, glared at me. What a weak rodent._

_Good thing Tsubasa was paired up with Ishizaki, the clumsiest guy on the team. He had a problem and he couldn't face it. Why? As those wise idiots say, it's hard to face your problem when your problem is your face. Well, we sure have an advantage against them. I hate losing._

Genzou hid his relatively small notebook on his back pocket. The race was about to start. Fuuko and Krizzie were not around.

He bent down to secure the knot on his and Izawa's legs so that it wouldn't give up on them during the race. Izawa abruptly stopped him. "Hey! My blood circulation has already been cut off, thank you very much!" the forward said dramatically. Genzou rolled his eyes.

"Do you want to win?"

Izawa glared. "Do you want to be killed by a guy who has lost his left foot?"

Genzou gave up, raising his hands in the air, much like those criminals do in the movies. After he was sure Izawa won't tackle him, he sighed and laid back. Izawa remained seated. Their teacher was currently talking with Yuki. "I bet she's asking her to be paired up with Kurisaki instead of Bokwins." Genzou said, smirking.

"Well, that's normal." Izawa replied. "They are friends after all. Speaking of which, where's Kurisaki-san?"

Genzou sat up and adjusted his cap. He shrugged noncommittally. "Probably running away from embarrassment." Genzou snickered.

Izawa looked at him incredulously. "Very funny Genzou, if Yuki heard you say that, she'll take all her army of cheerleaders to attack you. Kurisaki-san IS her friend."

Genzou raised a brow. "She's alone in her team. If you call that a team that is…"

Izawa smiled. "That's the point."

Genzou laughed, now finally getting what Izawa was trying to say. "Oh yeah, she alone is one hell of an army."

"I know." Izawa chuckled.

The teacher, the muscle-bound man with a woman's heart, blew his whistle. Genzou smirked. That gay, was a weird sight. He always wore a sleeveless shirt, black tights, plain white walking shoes and a pink shawl around his neck. And don't forget those dangling earrings made the gay look like a Christmas tree minus the beauty plus the stupidity.

_Oh yeah._ Genzou thought. _Very sassy_. Note the overflowing sarcasm.

He turned around and was surprised to see Fuuko and Krizzie already sitting at the back. Their legs were already bound together and Fuuko didn't seem to forget to tie her shoelace, a trait that always seemed to get her into trouble.

_Like causing her partner in a three-legged race to trip._ Genzou thought. _Too bad she remembered to tie it correctly._

He turned to Yuki, who was tying her foot to Bettina. The latter was bouncing up and down, she probably drank to much caffeine while the former, was absolutely in no mood to continue anymore with the degraded activity.

Tsubasa and Ishizaki were seated beside them, both knowing that they have no chance in hell to win the race and get a perfect score on the next test, as Mr. Shiroya had promised the winning pair.

They went to their places. Shiroya had been blowing the whistle for a couple of times. Everyone went to a singe lane with their partners. The gun was shot and they were off.

At first, everyone was having trouble walking with their legs tied together but thirty seconds later, the better ones seem to get used to it and increased their speed.

As expected, Genzou and Izawa were on the lead followed closely by Taro and Teppei. Hajime and Shingo were close behind and Bettina and Yuki were following close behind.

Genzou smirked. The ones who were able to follow them were nothing. Tsubasa and Ishizaki were not yet there.

Izawa tugged at his shoulder and gave him a look that was clearly ordering him to stop daydreaming. Genzou gave his partner a carefree look but nonetheless improved his focus. They ran faster.

Meanwhile, Fuuko was leaning against a tree, panting. She and Krizzie were a good ten meters away from the starting lane. Unfortunately, Fuuko started getting weary and came to an abrupt stop, which meant Kurisaki had to stop as well.

Krizzie patted her back, drawing big circles on it. "Feeling any better?"

Fuuko nodded and took a long swig from her water bottle. "Sorry I caused you this much trouble." she apologized, smiling weakly.

Krizzie nodded. She kept a straight face, but nevertheless, she looked dazed. "Uh… sure… yeah."

Fuuko looked straight at her amber pools. "Are YOU okay?" she started walking, dragging Krizzie with her.

Krizzie nodded. "Yeah… just thinking about… home."

"You lived in South America, if I remembered correctly." Fuuko placed a thoughtful finger under her chin.

Krizzie adjusted her glasses, pushing them up the bridge of her nose. "Yeah."

Fuuko quickened her pace. Krizzie followed. "From where exactly? South America is a fairly large continent. Fourth largest to be exact. First is Asia, then Africa… next is North America then your homeland." she smiled.

Krizzie let a small smile out. "I'm from Brazil…"

Fuuko's smile faltered. "I heard that they don't have much of an education there."

Krizzie smiled weakly. "That's the main reason I was sent here."

"But you could've gone to nearer places… I don't get while you have to move to another continent. I mean… you could've gone to a nearby country."

Krizzie looked at her as if she was stupid. "My father lives here. I was on custody with my mother for a while but considering the lack of education on my part, law decided that it was better for me to stay with dad."

"I see."

Fuuko was beginning to get interested but then thought of the race, then the quiz that was to be held tomorrow.

"I'm really engrossed in what you are about to say but…I want to win this race first."

Krizzie smiled and nodded, they went on.

--

Izawa and Genzou had completed more than half of the track. God knows when they'll reach the end. They didn't hear anybody behind them.

"We're… going to…gasp… win this thing." Izawa said, his voice were hoarse, his breath coming in loud gasps. His mind wanted to keep going but Izawa's body didn't agree to the idea.

Genzou looked at the forward worriedly. "You okay?"

"No. Obviously."

Genzou rolled his eyes before a smirk found its way on his lips. Izawa stole a worried glance his way before turning his head forward. "Genz… you look like a murderer who has found his victim… do you know that?"

Genzou's smirk widened. "Can I be really read that easily Mamoru?"

"Okaaaaay… this is not funny Genzou. You're freaking me out."

"Well, you freaked me out."

Izawa slowed down, so did Genzou, if he didn't he'd probably fall. "How so?"

Genzou could hear footsteps nearing them. "Shut up and keep going. If I ended up studying later, you'll regret it for the rest of your miserable life."

They ran faster and reached the finish line first, both screaming a cry of triumph. They dropped to the ground. Izawa repeated his question.

"That…" the goalkeeper replied. "…is my little secret." Izawa swallowed. Genzou really had to stop himself from smirking, remembering a passage he wrote during one of his times with Yuki, the first time she became obsessed with Misaki Taro. Oh believe him, it wasn't the greatest sight to behold.

_Mamoru Izawa had been crushing on Misaki Taro. I heard from Yuki Tamane when she was crying her eyes out at lunch under the oak tree at the school grounds. She went on and on about how Izawa was scanning her beloved from head to toe and she just swore she saw him drooling. "He's a GUY! How could he steal MY Taro-kun away from me? Taro is MY LIFE!" she kept on crying and I was left with no choice but to comfort her. I was shuddering the whole time, believe me._

_During Japanese class, I was starting to believe Yuki's suspicion was accurate. God, you should've seen the look Izawa was throwing at the brown-haired midfielder! _

So that was it. Izawa had a crush on Taro and Genzou started to doubt his sanity… and his gender. He sat up to untie the rope, which he did easily.

"Are you gay?" The question just left his mouth and Genzou wanted the ground to open up and swallow him whole at the very moment. Hell had never been so inviting.

"What?" Izawa cried. Genzou froze and looked at his partner who was panting beside him.

He wasn't given a chance to reply, however, when Krizzie and Fuuko joined them on the ground.

They frowned seeing the boys on the ground.

"Man… I really though we were about to win." Fuuko said in a disappointed tone.

"Too bad." Genzou said mockingly. Izawa snickered.

"Idiots." Krizzie muttered before crouching down and untying the rope on their feet. "If I wasn't too tired, we would've gotten ahead of you."

"No, it was my fault. I shouldn't have stopped." Fuuko insisted.

"Shut up Tooshime. It was mine." Krizzie said with a note of finality. Fuuko could only nod.

"Well, seriously. How did you get here so fast?" Genzou eye Fuuko up and down. The said girl blushed. "I mean, with Tooshime as your partner, I thought you never stood a chance."

Fuuko looked up at him in disbelief. Hurt filled her precious heart. _Oh my God… he never loved me! And here I am, thinking that he had fallen head over heels in love with me and feeling like I was on top of the world, now I barely feel that I'm on top of the ground. Kami-sama… TAKE MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!_

No one paid attention to Fuuko bawling by the ground, her body writhing disgustingly beside the shrubs.

"Are you a professional runner?" Izawa asked. He took the water bottle from his belt and drank a couple of gulps.

"No." Krizzie bluntly responded. "Actually… I suck at this."

"Oh yeah?" Izawa challenged. "How did you get here before the others did? You were last!"

"We weren't last!" Krizzie argued, stepping on Izawa's foot. "We were second to the last!"

Izawa pushed her off, trying to stop the tears from flowing down his eyes. "What the fuck did you do that for?"

Krizzie stuck out her tongue at him. "We were in front of Oozora and Ishizaki. They were tripping on every crack at the ground."

_Mood swings. How come most girls have them?_ Genzou asked himself. Of course, the answer wasn't available.

Fuuko gave them a nervous smile. Krizzie just crossed her arms. "I hate you." she told Izawa who was still massaging his foot.

"Why?" Izawa cried out.

"I don't know." she shrugged. "Just because."

They stopped talking when they caught sight of Taro and Teppei approaching fast.

The test content was given by Shiroya after giving Genzou and Izawa their rewards. The class went back to their room and waited for the science teacher to arrive.

Krizzie sat down on the corner at the very back. She took out her glasses and cleaned them using the hem of her sweater. Yuki sat down beside her. Fuuko didn't have her second period with them. Science.

"What?" Krizzie said, not looking at her. "Want to be tied up during second period?"

Yuki giggled. "Your taunting hasn't ceased, I see."

Krizzie snorted before returning her glasses before her eyes. "What is it that you want? My head is still not in its proper state."

"I could tell." Yuki said. "Since you've been being too nice towards our classmates."

"What do you want me to do?" Krizzie hissed. She took out a notebook and started doodling to ease out her tension. "Be a bitch and curse everyone in this class?"

Yuki giggled again. "No silly… I was just joking. Anyway, you were like that when I first met you."

Krizzie looked out the window. The sun was hiding behind the clouds. "Some joke. And that was because I did not know you and you just-"

Krizzie stopped when the teacher came in. "Be quiet. I don't want to fail my classes."

Genzou tried to concentrate on what Mr. Shinji was trying to tell them. To tell frankly, he failed miserably. He was at the back row, one seat away from the door.

He set down his pencil and looked out the window. Some birds were flying around. He smiled but frowned when he felt a faint tapping on his shoulder.

"What?" he hissed, looking at Bakayaro Takishima, the class idiot. His classmate was barely noticeable due to the fact that he was trying to block off the sun.

"Dude…" the guy whispered in his ear. "Teach wants you to answer his Q."

"Q?"

"Question dude… question. What are you? Stupid?" Genzou fought the urge to say "No, unlike you.", when he registered in his mind what the guy was trying to say.

Genzou froze before looking up at the teacher. "Hey Shinji-san… wazzup?" he tried to act cool.

"Takishima-san seems to have influenced you Wakabayashi-san."

"Err…" Genzou played with the hem of his shirt. "Gomen nasai sensei."

Shinji nodded, not really caring. "Going back, what is the capital of Argentina?"

Genzou felt a lump forming on his throat. "Actually… I have no idea."

The teacher sighed before calling on Sanae. "Buenos Aires" Sanae answered.

Shinji nodded before picking his nose. A lot of the student body were grossed out except for those who were the same as their teacher.

"What does the capital of a country have to do with science anyway?" Genzou growled before slumping in his seat.

Just as he did, the bell rang. It was time Math class. well, for Genzou, Krizzie, Yuki and Izawa anyway.

The class separated, going to their separate classes. Genzou caught up with Izawa. "I'm really thankful we have every class together."

"I'm not." Izawa said, looking at him. Ever since Genzou gave him that freaky look during P.E. he was unsure if he still considered the guy a friend.

Genzou smiled knowingly and placed an arm around Izawa's shoulder. The guy stumbled forward. "First Kurisaki-san, now you! does everybody have to beat me up today?"

Genzou rolled his eyes. "Calm down Mamoru, jeez… it's not like we're planning to assassinate you or something." Genzou said sarcastically. Izawa glared at him.

"If I start to see men in black following my every move, you're dead meat." Izawa snarled before pushing his arm away.

Genzou smirked before following him. He could hear Krizzie and Yuki's voices behind them. "How my dear little forward?' he asked, trying to piss him off more than he already was.

"Shut up Wakabayashi."

Genzou feigned disappointment. "Oh, so now we're on last name basis?" he asked. Izawa growled, increasing his speed.

The growl only made Genzou ridicule him worse. "I'll reveal your secret."

Izawa froze. He turned around and saw the mischievous tugging on Genzou's lips.

_He knows?_ Izawa asked himself. _But that's impossible! I've never told anybody!_

"What secret?" Izawa croaked, hoping it wasn't what he thought it would be. Genzou leaned over and whispered in his ear.

"Oh you know…" he said in a silky voice. "Little accidents, embarrassing situations… BOY crushes." he pulled back with a triumphant smirk. Izawa blushed but then paled. "You know?" he managed.

"Oh I knew… way back." Genzou flashed him a grin before brushing past him to the room. Krizzie approached the pale boy and ran a hand in front of his face. "Mamoru-san?" she asked. "What's wrong?"

Izawa looked at her, mouth hanging open. "Everything…" he said, voice cracking. "EVERYTHING'S WRONG!"

He tried to run away but Yuki and Krizzie stopped him, both clinging on his arms. "Mamoru-san!" Yuki exclaimed, pulling him with all her might. "Classes are…ugh…about…to…START!"

Izawa calmed down after two minutes of struggling and entered the room with them.

He did not look at Genzou. He did not sit down in front of him. He stayed with the girls the whole class, both of them trying to bring him to spill the beans.

Genzou smirked. "Poor guy, I shouldn't have done that." he shook his head, staring out the window. "Oh well, it was funny seeing him blush for the very first time."

Krizzie glanced at the black-haired boy in beside her. _He was blushing… he looked so scared._ She shook her head and decided to focus on the teacher instead but not until looking at Genzou. _What did that jerk do this time?_

The bell rang and they went out for their break. Genzou lingered behind, taking out his notes.

_I just told Izawa that I know about his interest to a certain midfielder. Heh… he looked so funny, especially when he turned bright red. I wish Taro could've been there._

Taro wrote the last of his assignments on his notebook before placing it gently on his bag then he walked out of the classroom, which was near the room where Genzou and Izawa were. Tsubasa was waiting for him at the crowded hallway.

"About time." the team captain teased. "I don't get it, why do you always have to take your time?"

Taro chuckled before lightly punching Tsubasa on the shoulder. "Excuse me for making sure I have everything under control." he paused. "Hey, didn't you tell me you were going to ask Sanae to the upcoming dance?"

Tsubasa blushed. "Er… the dance isn't scheduled until next month."

Taro nodded. "Yeah… but the girl you're planning on going with is pretty popular. She might be gone before you notice it." Taro grinned, rather forcefully.

Tsubasa grinned as well. "Yes… she IS pretty cute."

"Not just pretty cute… Sanae's really cute." Taro retorted. "That's why you really love her."

Tsubasa studied his best friend. "Taro… please don't tell me you're crushing on her."

"What? No!" Taro shook his hands in front of him defensively. "Besides, you'll look better with her than I would!" he let out a soft laugh.

Genzou, who had been watching behind amusedly, chose to interrupt. "Hi Taro…" he greeted lamely. The midfielder smiled at him.

_Ever since I found out about Izawa crushing on Taro, I've been paranoid about the gender on everyone on the team and then my fears were strengthened! I heard from Manabu that Taro LIKED Tsubasa! OMFG! No fucking way! Taro and Tsubasa? Man… the world must be out of its mind! _

"Tsubasa." he greeted.

Tsubasa smiled back at the goalkeeper and exchanged high-fives with him. The trio went out to the cafeteria.

The managers were there, seated across from them was Yuki, beside her were Krizzie and Izawa, who was still very pale.

Genzou sneered. He sat down beside the forward, who gasped seeing his face then let his gaze fall down his plate.

Krizzie glared at him. "What have you done to him?" she accused. Genzou looked at her lazily.

"Nothing… we just had a boys' chat, right… Mamoru?" he looked at Izawa, who slowly nodded. "See?"

Krizzie's gaze lingered. She drew circles on the forward's back, comforting him before turning her attention back to her food.

The bell rang, they went back to class and soon it was time for practice.

Genzou, Taro and Tsubasa went together.

They found the rest of the team already warming-up and the three managers preparing the water bottles and the dry towels.

"Hey Taro-kun! Tsubasa-kun! Wakabayashi-kun!" Yuki greeted.

"How come you called me by my last name?" Genzou pouted mockingly. Yuki smiled.

"Just because." the quote reminded him of Krizzie's reply to Taro during the race. Well, they are friends. It's normal that they have the same quotes.

"Where's Kurisaki-san?" Taro asked.

"She's getting the soccer balls." Sanae replied.

Genzou frowned. "What? Is she planning on being a manager as well, I think we have too much."

Yuki and Kumi shook their heads. The former decided to explain. "She's just helping out."

Genzou nodded. He took out his gloves and slipped them on. Krizzie had just arrived, holding five balls and struggling with it.

"Why are they so slippery?" she hissed. The audience tried hard not to laugh; Krizzie was giving them a dirty look. "What about you help me here? I'm not even supposed to do this!"

Yuki giggled before taking three. "Yes but you volunteered."

Krizzie's glare intensified. "I did NOT! You blackmailed me!"

Yuki's hand failed to cover her friend's mouth, seeing she was holding three soccer balls. She grinned uneasily but decided to keep quiet, Krizzie on the other hand, was thinking of the exact opposite.

"You told me that if I don't help out, you would tell the home economics teacher that I accidentally poured too much salt rather than sugar on my cake mixture and then you said that you would not tell me the mechanics on that game we have to play during Friday! Fuck, I don't know the rules in this school!" she ranted on. Instead of carrying the two balls, she tossed one to Sanae and kicked the other one with her feet.

Yuki laughed nervously. "Shut up." she muttered.

Krizzie saw her advantage. "Ooh…" she smirked.

Yuki sighed before tossing the balls to Kumi; he received it with difficulty and faced her friend. "I just wanted you to see what I do after class, was that too much?"

Krizzie glared. "It wasn't until you FORCED me to do your work that YOU, NOT ME, volunteered to do!"

The team and the rest of the managers watched them; completely abandoning practice, until Taro decided it was time to break it up.

"Hey girls, this is a soccer pitch not a boxing ring. If you want to fight, go to the gym." he said calmly.

The girls seem to get it. Both nodded and went to different directions. Krizzie went to the corner at the left of the pitch, playing with a ball while Yuki resumed to practicing her cheerleading routines.

The boys went to practice. Genzou stole glances at the friends once in a while but told himself to concentrate on the practice. He forgot his own command, however, when he noticed Fuuko running to Krizzie.

"What the hell is that girl doing here?" he thought, catching Ishizaki's shot with his left hand easily. He could hear some faint muttering but his attention was focused on the pair, who seemed to be so engrossed on their conversation.

"Hey Tooshime-san." Krizzie greeted after seeing the redhead running towards her. "What's the matter?"

Fuuko smiled, placing her hands behind her. "I'd just like to chat… if it's not too much of a trouble."

Krizzie shook her head. "Sure. I have nothing against words." Fuuko smiled and took a seat on the grass. She patted the spot beside her. Krizzie reluctantly sat down. "So… what do you want to talk about?"

"I want to resume our talk back at the race." Fuuko replied enthusiastically.

Krizzie froze. "Oh…"

"So, you said that you were now on custody with your dad?" Fuuko started. Krizzie merely nodded.

Fuuko began to feel unsure. "So, how's Japan? Compared to Brazil that is."

"Good." Krizzie paused before standing up. "Look, I have to go home."

Fuuko frowned. "But we were just starting." she whined. Krizzie fought the urge to roll her eyes.

"There's always tomorrow." she replied before sprinting out of sight.

Genzou watched everything even though he didn't hear anything. "What was that about?" he muttered after Krizzie had ran away, leaving a baffled Fuuko and a pissed Yuki at her wake.

**Finally! I thought I'll never finish this chapter… oh well… there's the fight I promised although it didn't seem much, ne? I PROMISE I'll work on the next one extra hard! Please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Weird School, Same Weird Students**

**By: Krizzie**

**Summary:** School… when asked about it, most students say "Boring!" or "Yawn…" without any care at all. The hardworking ones say it's great and a great place to learn but a certain boy's view about it is different. For Genzou Wakabayashi, school is what you call… WEIRD.

Disclaimer: I don't own Captain Tsubasa, if I did, Krizzie would be there to wreck havoc on the team! Ha! Ha! Seriously, I don't own it.

AU The happenings in this story do not match on the original storyline of the anime or mangga. Obviously, since Genzou was a student in Nankatsu rather than in Shutetsu together with Hajime, Teppei and Izawa. I hope you understand.

"Talking"

_Thoughts or Genzou's notebook entries_

SHOUTING OR EMPHASIZED WORDS

**(Small author notes)**

**Chapter 4**

_**Nov. 17, 2005 Thursday**_

_Another fucked-up day coming up… jeez… I'm so goddamn pissed! My head's about to blow and if I don't get my head together soon, that thought might just turn literal. Right now, I'm in the school's open grounds, watching my teammates at the field. We're practicing for the tournament and we got the day off from our classes. The catch? We have to practice all day long, not that I minded. It was better than getting stuck with my history teacher who thinks he's a smart sea lion in a circus. Izawa's still mad at me, I don't blame him though. There he was right now, playing soccer like nothing happened but I bet my ass that if happen to walk there right now, his face would contort into something that might make Tsubasa howl with laughter. _

Genzou jumped off the tree and landed on the ground with a soft thud. He ran towards Tsubasa, who was already red with irritation because his goalkeeper was nowhere to be found.

"Genzou! Where the hell were you?" Tsubasa bellowed once he caught sight of him. "We had this day off because we have to practice! You can't just roam around without my permission! The tournament's just WEEKS away!"

Genzou nodded. "I understand." he said.

"Good." Tsubasa turned towards his team. "Okay! Back to practice guys! Let's give it our best shot!"

Through the corner of his eye, Genzou noticed Izawa giving a cold glare before getting in position in front of Taro. Genzou just smirked before going to the net. Morisaki was already ready on his.

Sanae blew his whistle and practice started.

Yuki slumped in one of the stone benches. Sanae sat down beside her. Kumi was busy cheering Tsubasa on.

"Something on your mind?" Sanae asked, placing a soft hand above Yuki's. Yuki looked up at the older teen and smiled.

"Actually, yeah… Krizzie didn't call me yesterday, I'm really worried and this morning just before we went to the field, I didn't see her at class."

"Maybe you just missed her." Sanae suggested helpfully. Yuki shook her head and brought a hand to brush back some loose strands of hair.

"No, she's not usually late… and she should've called me if she's going to miss class.

"What do you want to do?" Sanae asked. She eyed Kumi, who was still shouting by the sidelines. If she makes one move at Tsubasa, trust Sanae to kill her with her bare hands.

"I think… I want to call her house…you know, check if she caught the flu or something."

Sanae averted her gaze to Yuki. "What if she's present and she was just at the bathroom during your search for her?"

"I'll go to the classroom. If she's not there, I'll call her at her house." Yuki replied. She retied her hair in a ponytail and dashed upstairs. Sanae followed her. She can't stand seeing Kumi drool at the sight of her Tsubasa.

--

"Do you see her?" Sanae asked, tired of Yuki's weight on her shoulders.

They were behind the school. Yuki was standing at Sanae's shoulder to take a look inside the Chemistry lab. "I can't see her!" Yuki replied, having a hard time clinging on the narrow window ledge. She looked down. "I think she never came to school."

Sanae dropped to her knees and Yuki jumped off. "Let's go find a pay phone." Yuki said before running to the school's covered entrance. Sanae ran after her.

While running, Yuki grabbed a handful of coins from her purse, cursing as a few slipped from her grasp but made no attempt to stop and pick them up.

The phone booth was partially hidden beside the guard's place. Yuki dashed between two oak trees before she saw the row of phone booths. She went to the one nearest to her and slipped in some coins. She hauled in a breath before dialing Krizzie's number. When she heard the ringing on the other end, she sighed and leaned back. Sanae sat down on one bench across from her, watching intently. Finally, someone picked up.

"Hello?" Yuki greeted.

"Who's this?" Krizzie asked from the other line. Yuki sighed in relief.

"Krizzie, you're alright!"

"Oh Y- it's you, why are you calling?" Krizzie asked. Yuki could hear the uneasiness in her voice.

"Is it wrong to call a friend to check up on her? It's a school day and you're absent. I was worried." Yuki said.

"I'm fine." Krizzie told her. Yuki heard something breaking. Krizzie winced.

"What's that?"

"Oh God, um… Y- I mean, um… I'll see you tomorrow, I-"

"What's happening over there Krizzie?"

"I… It was just a vase, don't worry. I… I have to go. Don't call anymore, okay? Bye."

"Shit." Yuki cursed when she heard a dial tone. Krizzie had hung up on her. She turned to Sanae who gave her a confused look.

"What's up?"

"She didn't tell me why she was absent and then a vase at her house fell then she told me she had to go."

"She probably had to clean up the broken pieces. Man, her dad's gonna kill her." Sanae paused. "She lives with her dad, right?"

"That's what she said. I've never really met Mr. Kurisaki. Sure I went to her house occasionally, during her first days here before she enrolled, but I never really chanced upon her father. I met her mother once when we were on a trip at Brazil. That's when I first met her but still…" Yuki trailed off.

Sanae nodded. "Let's go back to practice."

"Sure." Yuki said. "What else can we do anyways?"

--

Even at the field, they can still hear the annoying sound of the bell.

Yuki groaned before signaling Sanae to blow her whistle, which the brown-haired girl did. Kumi called everyone for the break.

Piles of students emerged from the school building. Fan girls crowded around the soccer team as they rested at the sidelines.

Taro caught a glimpse of a sullen Yuki behind his group of irritating girls. He politely walked away before taking a seat beside the team manager. The manager felt her heart skip a beat, after all, the silent boy is her crush but she ignored the feeling of butterflies swimming in her stomach and concentrated on the grass beneath her.

Yuki ignored the glares she was receiving and asked the midfielder what he wanted. Taro smiled. "Is something bothering you?" he asked. "You look down the dumps."

Yuki sighed. "Is it that obvious?"

"Afraid so."

She sighed. "As you know, Krizzie didn't come to school today." Yuki told him. She started fidgeting with her locks. Taro waited for her to continue. "I called her via phone just a while ago. I was afraid that I pissed her off too much during practice yesterday."

"Is she?" Taro asked, relieved when the annoying girls went as a group to the cafeteria, taking their 'I love Taro' t-shirts with them.

"No… actually, she sounded nice on the phone. I was relieved but then she started sounding scared of something. Then something fell. She started stammering and I asked her what was wrong. She told me that she'll see me tomorrow but I asked her again. She said it was just a vase then hung up." Yuki sighed. "Do you think she's alright?"

"Well, I'm not sure. If it makes you feel better, why don't we go over to her house after school?" Taro suggested before standing up. Yuki stood up as well.

"You sure I'm not bothering you're schedule?"

"Not at all, you had been so much help during your stay here with us. This is the least I could do." Taro replied with a smile. Yuki smiled back and muttered thanks.

"Can I come?" Izawa asked, startling both of them. They both gave him a dubious look. "I… I'm sorry for eavesdropping but I heard you talking and I… I heard… and I was worried so I…" he stammered, trying to come up with words. Yuki giggled before nodding.

"Sure, Krizzie won't mind."

Izawa smiled shakily. "Thanks."

--

Genzou pressed the stop button on his recorder and looked at the trio he was spying at. Lately, this snooping business had gotten him obsessed and luckily, no one has discovered him yet. He picked up his recorder and slipped off without a sound.

_Kurisaki's not in today and Tamane's worried. I didn't mean to listen to the conversation but I just couldn't resist. They're meeting with Kurisaki after school and I just may find a reason to tag along._

--

The bell rang and the students were called to return to their classes. The soccer team and their managers returned to the pitch.

"Man, I can't believe I'm saying this but I actually want to attend math class." Ishizaki muttered. Shingo nodded beside him.

"Yeah, practicing all day does take a lot out of you." he agreed. Morisaki patted them from behind.

"C'mon guys, have some soccer spirit!" he encouraged. "We're going to play the tournament!"

"Easy for you to say!" Ishizaki called out when the keeper ran past him. "You don't run around that much and since Tsubasa's on your team, the defense ain't doing anything at all!"

Genzou shook his head in disgust as he listened to the monkey-faced defender yap on. He sat down contentedly on the grass. Tsubasa was not yet there and he was safe to slack off for a while.

_Practice is becoming boring and Izawa had already trained himself to ignore me, meaning no more fun during practice. However, I think there would be some excitement after class. I have no detention because we never did go to class and no teacher was sent to supervise us. Maybe I would go with Tamane on this one. Maybe I'd unravel a secret about Kurisaki's mysterious façade. She looks someone hiding something beneath a dark abyss and I may just be the person to bring a light at her small little world._

Tsubasa arrived and practice had resumed but Genzou stole occasional glances at Yuki. He didn't know where her friend lived but Yuki was sure to know. Krizzie was her friend. He didn't want to lose her.

"I'll be coming." he whispered tentatively, staring at the ball on Hajime's feet. "It should be worth it."

--

After school, Sanae waited at the gate for Yuki. She had agreed to accompany her to Krizzie's house, mainly because Yuki has sounded so upset.

"Why are you so worried? Didn't Kurisaki-san tell you everything was alright?" Sanae asked when Yuki and the boys arrived.

"Yeah, but Krizzie's a liar; and a bad one at that." Yuki muttered before breezing past her. Sanae heaved a sigh before following suit. Izawa and Taro walked behind them.

"Is it a long walk?" Izawa asked. "My feet are killing me. That was some practice."

Yuki giggled before shaking her head and crossing the street. Then she made a sharp turn right and stopped at the eighth house.

She rang the doorbell. Her three companions looked at the household. It wasn't the most marvelous house but it wasn't shabby either. There were some potted plants seen through the gate and a couple of trees. Yuki smiled when Krizzie stuck her head out of her bedroom window. Yuki grinned and waved.

She stopped when Krizzie's eyes widened and disappeared inside. They heard some footsteps and soon Krizzie was in front of them.

"What are you doing here?" she hissed before glaring at Yuki. "And why'd you bring him along?"

"Who?" Yuki asked. "Izawa and Taro? Why? Are you mad at them?"

Krizzie shook her head; still not making a move to let them enter. "Not those two. HIM!" she pointed at a figure behind Yuki. The four gasped.

"Genzou?"

The goalkeeper smirked before fixing his cap. "Nice to see you." he muttered. Yuki growled before punching him on the shoulder. Genzou didn't look like he was in pain.

"Why the hell did you follow us?" Yuki demanded.

Genzou shrugged. "Just because." he replied, using their words.

Krizzie sighed before going out and closing the gate behind her. She looked at her lawn before facing them. "Are you here to bring my homework?" she asked.

Yuki shook her head. "We didn't attend classes because of soccer practice."

"Then why're you here?" Krizzie asked. Yuki looked at her friend. She was wearing a blue apron over an oversized blue shirt and baggy pajama pants. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun. There were some specks of dirt on her face, arms and her cloths. She wiped a sweat off her forehead. Yuki noticed the dirty gloves on them.

"Just checking up on you." Yuki replied bluntly. "Been cleaning?"

Krizzie waited before replying. "You already called earlier. And yeah, I was cleaning."

Genzou pushed Yuki away and looked at the smaller girl. Krizzie made no attempt to speak to him. "Why don't you let us in?" he asked.

Krizzie looked at the ground. "I… I can't… it's still messy and…"

"It's alright!" Sanae chirped. "We can help you clean."

Krizzie looked up and saw Yuki, Izawa and Taro nod. Genzou frowned but nodded as well. "I… I'm not sure. I'll ask my dad. You guys wait here."

Krizzie entered her gate and disappeared through her door. The five waited outside. They took the chance to curse Genzou.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Yuki hissed. "I didn't invite you!"

"I was wondering where the four of you are going. I thought you were going on a double date and I decided to ruin it!" Genzou said, telling them the lie he had made up earlier on the field. The four blushed.

"You're sick, you know that?" Taro muttered. Izawa just glared at him. Genzou pointed at Taro in a way that Izawa was the only one who could see. The forward glared at him. Genzou resisted a chuckle. Finally, Krizzie came out.

She was holding her shoulder when she went out and gave them a nervous smile. "C-Come in… dad agreed." She made way for them and they entered. The lawn was small, but neat. The grass was well trimmed and the plants were well taken care of. Sanae stopped to marvel at some rose bushes.

"Do you take care of these Krizzie?" she asked. Krizzie nodded before opening the door and letting them in. She disappeared in the kitchen and appeared later with five glasses of orange juice. She gave one to each of them.

"So, whatcha doing?" Yuki asked. Krizzie pointed at a door at the end of the hallway. "I'm dusting up some books in our library." she replied. "What do you guys want?" she asked.

Genzou shrugged before slumping down on the sofa.

"Where's that vase that fell?" Yuki asked curiously, taking a small sip of her juice.

"I threw it out. Do you think I'd leave it lying around?" Krizzie asked before grabbing her duster and proceeding to the library. "You guys can stay there but my chores can't wait. You can show yourself out."

She went off.

"Nice." Genzou said sarcastically. "Just leaving her guests."

"No one invited you anyway!" Izawa muttered to the keeper. "Leave the girl alone."

Sanae wrapped her hands around the cold glass. "She missed school to do her chores? And her dad isn't mad?"

Taro nodded. "That is pretty weird." He looked at door left ajar. "I'll help her." He stood up, grabbed a rag under the table and followed Krizzie. Sanae did the same, followed by Izawa. Yuki finished her juice.

"I think something's wrong." she told Genzou. The goalkeeper waited for her to go on. "She's not usually like this and I should know; I'm her best friend."

"What's wrong with her?" Genzou asked, touching his drink for the first time. "She doesn't look like an alien to me."

Yuki shot him a glare before continuing. "Krizzie's lazy, sure she does her chores but she would never choose them over school, she's a grade-conscious girl, believe me. And she NEVER EVER stammers in front of her friends unless something's wrong." Yuki explained. She put down her glass on the coffee table. Grabbing a rag, she followed the three. Genzou sat there. He took out his notebook.

_It seems I was right about that Kurisaki having a secret. Tamane's telling me her friend's acting strange. I don't know what it's all about but whatever it is, I'm going to find out._

--

Sanae took out a large encyclopedia out of the shelf and placed it on top of the world atlas. She began to wipe the spot.

"This is some heavy task." she said out loud.

Krizzie forced a smile and nodded, taking out book after book, cleaning them then cleaning the spot that they had once been before putting them back again. "The house is really dirty."

Yuki entered the room and began helping out. "Hey Krizzie, are you sure you're alright?" she asked her friend. Krizzie merely nodded.

Izawa muffled a scream when a large book almost fell down on his foot. Taro chuckled. "You almost crushed your foot Mamoru."

Krizzie gasped and bent down to check up on the forward. "You shouldn't have helped me! How would you play in the tournament if you destroyed your foot! I am so sorry!" Krizzie said, bowing down. Izawa stopped her by holding her shoulder. Krizzie winced.

"It's alright." Izawa mumbled, pulling his hand back. "Are you hurt?" He slowly touched her shoulder again. Krizzie recoiled before going back to work.

"It's fine… I just hurt it when I was rushing up the stairs." she replied softly.

--

Genzou had walked in just in time to see what happened. By what he saw, Krizzie had an injury on her left shoulder and she was holding it a while ago. The goalkeeper walked in.

"Did I miss anything?" he asked causally before walking beside Sanae to help her put down a large dictionary.

"No." Krizzie replied. She went to clean the pocket book section. Yuki joined her.

"You sure have a lot of mystery books in here." Yuki muttered, looking at the rows of mystery, thriller and horror books made by a variety of authors.

"My dad collects them, I got addicted." Krizzie replied, taking one out and starting her routine all over again. They heard Taro and Izawa talking about the tournament in front of the shelf in front of them.

Yuki nodded before mimicking her actions. They finished in no time.

Krizzie led them outside. "Thanks for the help. I appreciate it. It's getting dark. You better go home."

Yuki nodded before giving her a soft hug. "You better go to school tomorrow."

"You'll see me there, don't worry." Krizzie assured her.

They left.

Genzou waited after they were all gone before looking back at Krizzie. She waited for him to go.

"Is something wrong with your shoulder?" he finally asked. Krizzie placed a gloved hand over it and shook her head.

"Then why did you wince when Izawa touched it?" he asked.

"It has a bruise." Krizzie replied.

"How'd you get it?"

"When I was running up the stairs to tell my father you guys are here."

"Why did you miss school?"

"That's none of your concern." with that said, she closed the gate and walked off. Genzou smirked.

_Kurisaki may act like everything's okay but I know better. As Yuki has said, she's a bad liar. I'll check up on her, maybe even without Yuki. Now that I know where she lives, it would be easy. For now, I'll sleep. Tomorrow's Friday, I'll start on the weekends._


	5. Chapter 5

**Weird School, Same Weird Students**

**By: Krizzie**

**Summary:** School… when asked about it, most students say "Boring!" or "Yawn…" without any care at all. The hardworking ones say it's great and a great place to learn but a certain boy's view about it is different. For Genzou Wakabayashi, school is what you call… WEIRD.

Disclaimer: I don't own Captain Tsubasa, if I did, Krizzie would be there to wreck havoc on the team! Ha! Ha! Seriously, I don't own it.

AU The happenings in this story do not match on the original storyline of the anime or manga. Obviously, since Genzou was a student in Nankatsu rather than in Shutetsu together with Hajime, Teppei and Izawa. I hope you understand.

"Talking"

_Thoughts or Genzou's notebook entries_

SHOUTING OR EMPHASIZED WORDS

**(Small author notes)**

**Chapter 5**

**_Nov. 18, 2005 Friday_**

_Um…yeah, Kurisaki showed up alright. She was even here before I did, which is the exact reason why I almost fell on my desk when I saw her by the window, the surprising thing though…well, I thought she would be all moody and stuff, but she was actually SMILING! Okay, now she fit my standards of weird… how the hell could she smile like THAT? Nobody with dark secrets smile so…carefree! Damn it!_

…

Genzou glanced at Krizzie sitting at the window ledge, her left leg dangling. Out of curiosity, he glanced at Krizzie's left shoulder.

"Does your bruise still hurt?" he asked tenderly, not wanting her to get mad. If she didn't beat him up, Yuki would be glad to do it for her, and there was Izawa, who would accuse him of being a bully since he bullied him already and there was Sanae who would undoubtedly give him a lecture and Taro, who would scold him about not being in his proper behavior.

Krizzie smiled before shaking her head. "It was only a slight bump; it healed after a night's rest. She raised her arm and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Before she could put her arm back, Genzou stood up and stopped it.

"What happened?" he asked, looking at the deep gashes on her hands. Krizzie looked at his eyes before looking at her own hands. She grinned sheepishly.

"I hurt myself when I picked up the broken vase pieces... didn't Yuki tell you?" Her grin got wider. "Sometimes, I could be really careless."

"I did hear her mention something about a vase…" Genzou mumbled, recalling his little eavesdropping session. He would rather spend some time with Manabu rather than telling Yuki's friend that he had been listening to her private conversation with her current crush. After all, it was better to hear complements about pink than hearing a loud voice nagging at your ear and feet kicking the hell out of your body.

Krizzie smiled again before forcefully pulling her arm back. "See? It's nothing. It'll heal in a week or two."

Genzou nodded. Though her stories made sense and were convincing, Genzou doubted it was true. She didn't strike him as clumsy and she sure as hell wasn't careless. On his first observation, he recognized her as a woman of coolness and strength…one void of the unnecessary trait. He winced when Krizzie took a large intake of breath and coughed several times.

Yuki opened in the door, behind her, their redhead of a nurse stared at the black-haired girl. "I heard someone COUGH!" the nurse exclaimed. Genzou rolled his eyes. It was that stupid nurse again. She would panic hearing even the slightest sneeze or a slight cough. He remembered the time Ishizaki had accidentally hurt his knee the EXACT moment, the nurse passed by. Sanae would've treated it if it hadn't been because of the redhead.

"_I'm going to beat you WAKABAYASHI!" Ishizaki said with determination evident in his voice. I waited for him to attack, edging farther out of the goal to lessen his chances of scoring though I highly suspect the ball would even touch the goalpost. And I was right. By the time he was five feet from me, he stepped on the ball and tripped, sending himself face-first on the ground. He used his knee to lessen the pressure of the fall and at that very moment, Ms. Redhead the Nurse was walking by. I feel bad for Ishizaki._

_I watched as the nurse slung him over her shoulder despite his protests, scolding him about not taking care of himself while she carelessly jogged towards the clinic. We could even hear Ishizaki's howls of pain as we continued practice. For once, I don't want to and see what was happening…I was afraid it would be etched in my mind forever; bad memories tend to do that._

Genzou snapped out off his diary entry when the redhead approached Krizzie and placed a hand on her forehead. "OMFG! Your temperature is 36.5 degrees Celsius!" the woman yelled, running around the room frantically. Krizzie sweatdropped.

"Um…isn't that normal?" she asked, half-wondering how the hell the hysterical nurse knew her temperature without using a thermometer.

"NO!" the redhead yelled. "That is .5 degrees higher than normal! OMG! WHAT IS A NURSE LIKE ME TO DO?" she ran out of the room, bawling. "I AM NOT WORTHY! I SHOULD GIVE UP MY JOB! I'M WORTHLESS!"

"I hate that hag." Genzou muttered. "I wish she'd keep true to her word and resign…or better yet, retire. That way, she wouldn't have to return here."

Yuki raised a brow at the hallway before looking at Genzou. "So do I." She turned to Krizzie. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Krizzie replied, jumping off the ledge after making sure that the nurse was a few meters away. "I just choked a little, that's all."

Genzou watched her as she returned to her seat and started doodling on her notebook. When she caught him looking at her, she smiled brightly and Genzou just had to look away.

Yuki arched a brow at Genzou, what was wrong with the guy? "Okaaaaaaaaay, I'm going to go outside…so…I'll just be there if you need me." Not wanting to witness any more weirdness, she disappeared from the room. "Hopefully, you'll not." she muttered once she was out of earshot.

"Bye!" Krizzie chirped before she completely ran off. She returned to her incessant doodling.

"Yeah…I'll go with her…okay?" He ran off when Krizzie nodded her head without even looking at him.

--

Yuki dribbled the ball with her feet, passing it from one foot to another when someone stole it from her. "HEY!" she protested, only getting in a fouler mood when she saw who did it. "Why did you follow me Wakabayashi?" she snapped.

Genzou shrugged before circling her, ball on his feet.

"Give me back my ball." Yuki said through gritted teeth. When Genzou didn't oblige, she tackled him. Genzou evaded it with a swift turn.

"Now that's more like it." he smirked. "A little challenge."

Yuki felt her temper rising, to the point that she felt like beating the goalkeeper to a pulp, now THAT she knew she was capable. A satisfied sneer made its way on her lips when she envisioned Genzou half-dead on the pavement, bathing in his own blood.

Genzou arched a brow. "You're weird." he told her bluntly, earning a well-deserved glare.

Yuki tackled him and within a few seconds had the ball with her, dragging it towards the goal. Genzou stood up, recovering from the attack and ran past her and stopped by the net.

"Let's see you catch this one!" Yuki yelled, kicking the ball with all her frustrations. Genzou anticipated the move and dove for it, catching the ball easily. He was the Super Great Goalkeeper after all.

"Not bad." he smirked. "But not good enough."

Yuki fumed. She grabbed the ball from his hands and played on her own, her back facing him. Genzou's smirk got wider. He leaned over her right ear and whispered in a husky voice,

"Surprising as it is, you're not all over me." His deep voice made the only cheerleader shudder. She faced him, backing away nervously.

"W-Well…you're n-not as cute as you used to be!" she almost hit herself for stammering AND for telling him she thought he was cute but so far, all she did was stare at Genzou's hypnotizing orbs.

"So I'm less…cute as you put it." he sneered. "Is it because I'm becoming sexy?" he asked seductively, smirking wider when he noticed the barely noticeable tint on pink on Yuki's cheeks.

"No way in hell…" she whispered lamely, looking at him in the eye. Her blush deepened, Genzou didn't lose his smirk.

"Really?" he challenged, tightening his cap on his head. "Are you sure you're less a liar than your friend as you claim to be?" he stepped closer to her.

"Wakabayashi…you're freaking me out." she said candidly, taking a few steps back, all the while she stared at the advancing goalie.

"Oh? No... Genzou-kun like you used to call me?" he pretended to look hurt and pouted. Yuki looked away. She hated to admit it but she almost fell for that look one second there.

"Seriously Wakabayashi, stop it." She was thankful that her voice didn't fail her this time. She bit her lip when he noticed him edging close enough for her to take in his scent, which strangely reminded her of daisies.

"Call me Genzou-kun." he insisted, grabbing her by the arm, turning around and pinning her between the goalpost and his body, making her forget about his invigorating fragrance. "It's not that hard."

"Get away from me." Yuki wriggled but couldn't break free. How did she end up in this position anyway? Oh right. Genzou Wakabayashi.

"Just say my name like before." he pressed his body to her, making Yuki immobile. He leaned closer. Yuki closed her eyes, not because of fear, but anticipation. Genzou smirked. "Go on…you never had a problem before." Yuki shuddered, feeling the heat of his breath on her face.

And just at the moment his lips was about to touch hers, they heard a twig snap and immediately, they were on either sides of the pitch.

"Are you guys…fighting or something?" Taro Misaki asked while throwing away the rotten tree branch he had stepped on. Genzou shrugged while Yuki tried hard to fight down a blush, which she, fortunately, successfully did.

--

Krizzie smiled, she had witnessed everything, and she was sure the Misaki midfielder did too. If she wasn't so uninterested in love affairs, she would've killed Misaki for interrupting.

She didn't know Wakabayashi fancied her friend, he didn't show any sign of it before. She knew about Yuki's feelings for the guy…but Yuki was a girl who often changed her mind, and now that twisted mind was set on Misaki and Wakabayashi decided NOW of all times to make a move on her. If he did it before, Yuki would've succumbed and they would already be an official couple. Her grin only got wider, she wished for her friend's happiness.

She straightened, stepping away from the windows. Yuki would kill her if she knew she had been watching them. She slowly made her way back to her seat and began to draw.

She heard some shrieking at the hallway and almost suddenly bolted out of her seat.

--

"No." Genzou replied when he noticed Taro throwing both of them dubious looks. He shoved his cap deeper on his face and walked past his teammate. "We just had a conversation."

"Uh-huh." Taro smiled, Genzou noticed the hint of malice in the midfielder's eyes. He didn't miss the sarcastic tone on his voice. "What an... unusual way to…talk." Genzou glared at him but Taro, unfazed, gave him a sweet smile.

Genzou sighed, he hated going to last resorts but at the moment, he didn't have a choice. "Say a wisecrack and I'll tell Tsubasa." he threatened.

Taro almost chocked at what the goalie said. Genzou awarded himself with a sneer. "W-What?"

Genzou feigned an innocent look. "Oh you know what I mean Misaki-kun." he said, pouting. Yuki wanted to barf at the current moment, even though she didn't know exactly what they were talking about.

"Your face looks like…ugh." she moved away, running off towards the room again. She swore never again to be left alone with Wakabayashi. If he did that again…she would kill him. _If it was Taro, it would've been fine but knowing him, the cute guy wouldn't do such a thing. _She grinned._ Especially to a cute girl like me. He'll use a romantic tactic for deserving girls like Yuki Tamane, he's still planning. I'll wait Taro-kun. I'll be very patient._

After taking a glance at Yuki's back, just to make sure she didn't hear any of these, Taro gazed at Genzou. "Genzou, what are you trying to say?" he asked timidly, his brows finely knit together.

Genzou raised a brow. "Oh surely you're not THAT stupid." he scoffed.

Taro immediately turned red but smiled a few seconds after. "I'm pretty much sure you won't do that Wakabayashi-san." he said, his smile making Genzou's spine tingle but he would never admit that.

"And may I ask why Misaki?" He said in a slightly mocking tone.

"Well, I have that flirting session awhile ago as back-up." he said cheerfully, picking up the ball they had been playing with earlier. He started to juggle it with his head while Genzou watched with his arms now folded across his broad chest.

"You don't have proof." he protested.

"You don't either," He looked up briefly to meet Genzou's eyes. "And tell me Genzou, who would believe you over me?" In a way, that made perfect sense. Taro never lied, except at desperate measures but on the other hand, Genzou had a reputation of being a distrustful guy by some students. Genzou had to admit Taro had an edge. Taro gave the goalkeeper a challenging smile. Genzou managed a small smile back but in truth his blood was boiling. Never had he been so blatantly beaten.

"And plus," Taro added, looking over the windows on a nearby building. He gazed back at Genzou. "I have a fellow witness."

And with that statement, Genzou was left dumbfounded.

--

Yuki went back to the school building and noticed the redhead nurse looking around, her bloodshot eyes scanning the grounds. "What's the matter?" Yuki asked nervously, tugging at the end of her locks.

The nurse practically ran to her, grabbing her by her clothes. "Where's your friend… WHO COUGHED?"

Yuki grabbed her hands and pried her off her, dusting her clothes in the process, not bothering to reply.

"I went to you classroom and the COUGHING GIRL was GONE!" the nurse shrieked, circling around the corridor. "I just went to get her medicine!"

"What medicine?" Yuki asked curiously. The nurse walked inside the room and took out a bagful of capsules, syrups and tablets. Yuki studied the contents.

"Uh…isn't this suicide?" she asked when she saw the expiry date, which was supposedly a decade ago.

The nurse laughed insanely and Yuki fought the urge to grab all those large tablets and shove them through her lipstick-smeared mouth. "No STUPID! They help a patient HEAL!" she said in a sweet tone that made Yuki cringe.

"Not if they're older than you." she pointed at one in the bag, covered with tangled cobwebs. "And not if they're OBVIOUSLY poisonous."

The nurse rolled her eyes, as if mocking the cheerleader. Yuki gave her a hard glare. "Puh-lease, you act like you know everything missy, your friend OBVIOUSLY needs MY PROFESSIONAL help." she crossed her arms and raised a well-plucked brow. "Besides, who asked for what you have to say anyway? It's not like you're the nurse here."

Yuki had it. And she wasn't known for self-control either. Taking a step forward, she glared hard at the nurse, taking pleasure in seeing the fear on her face. "FOR YOUR FUCKING INFORMATION, I KNOW ENOUGH TO INDICATE THAT BY GIVING THAT TO MY FRIEND, YOU'RE KILLING HER! AND DON'T YOU DARE SPEAK TO ME LIKE THAT EVER AGAIN BECAUSE IF YOU DO, YOU'D WAKE UP TO SEE WHAT YOU WOULDN'T RATHER SEE ALL OVER YOU!" she clenched her fists and shoved them hard on the nurse's stomach, making the blabbermouth spit out some saliva and -much to Yuki's satisfaction- a small amount of blood.

Yuki walked off, making sure that the nurse would have to take a trip to the hospital before going back to work. She found her friend hiding underneath the teacher's table in their classroom, obviously from the frantic girl she had just beaten up. "She's taken care off."

Krizzie swallowed the lump on her throat and nodded. "That's good." she dusted some of the dirt she had collected on the floor and flashed her friend a shaky smile. "Glad to know I'm safe…I thought I would have to fake drinking it before she would leave me."

Yuki grinned. "She won't be forcing you to drink anything for a very long time."

Krizzie grinned back. "Then I guess I owe you a word of gratitude."

"Naw…what are friends for? Just give me a hug and it's all over." Yuki grinned. Krizzie didn't do hugs since she was ten. They were fifteen for Pete's sakes!

"A simple 'thank you' is all I have to give." Krizzie muttered, grimacing at the thought of a bone-crushing hug. She smiled suddenly, startling her best friend. "I'll leave the hugging business to Genzou, though I have to say you two were going much further."

Yuki's reaction didn't disappoint her. A rich color of red suddenly erupted on her high cheekbones. Yuki immediately covered her face with her hands. "Sh-shut up!" she stammered.

"I thought you liked Misaki-san!" Krizzie exclaimed, fighting hard to force down a laugh. Yuki blushed harder if possible.

"Wakabayashi forced himself on me!" she hissed, Krizzie noticed the blush hadn't faded away. This only made her smirk more. "What was I to do?" Yuki snapped at her.

"It looked different way back here." Krizzie told her. "It looked like you were both VERY active participants."

"I told you to SHUT THE HELL UP!"

Krizzie only closed her mouth after Yuki threatened her that she would wake the nurse up. Thankfully, the class began to pile up. It had been tiring, and classes hadn't even started.

Before the bell rang, the soccer team and their managers formed a line to again, practice at the pith. Krizzie waved them goodbye before they disappeared.

Once they were on the open grounds, the team broke their line and went to small groups talking to their closest friends. Genzou walked alongside Yuki. He didn't notice Taro and Izawa were walking close behind.

"Hey, found out anything about your friend's 'weird' behavior." Genzou asked, looking dead ahead. Yuki wondered if he was toying with her.

"Unfortunately, no. But it's only the start of the day…we still have lots of time."

Genzou quirked a brow and met Yuki's green orbs. "What do you mean 'we'?"

Yuki flushed and looked away. "BY the way you're asking; I have to say you're quite interested."

Genzou nodded. "That's your opinion."

Taro walked beside them, Izawa did the same. "What's wrong with Kurisaki-san?" Izawa asked.

Genzou looked at them lazily. "Yuki told me she was acting weird." he replied coolly. "Ask her."

Taro raised a brow. "I didn't know you guys call each other by their first names now. Genzou, I thought you were scared of her."

Genzou shrugged. "Not now. It's the other way around." Yuki shot him a glare. She turned to Izawa.

"I suspect she's hiding something…" she replied before jogging away from them to help Sanae and Kumi an arranging the things needed for the boys' practice.

"What do you think?" Taro asked. Izawa shrugged.

Genzou looked over to both of them and decided it would be such a bad thing if they tagged along. He could use a little help and he knew that Yuki's friend trusted this two more than she trusted himself. "I think it's time we do a little snooping around."

--

Krizzie stopped yawn from coming when their history teacher stole a deadly glance at her. She knew he didn't like her. _Well newsflash, I don't like you either._

She stuck her tongue out at him when he turned around and continued his lecture about the French revolution, letting his mucus drip down his nose without even the slightest damn. And this lesson, they've been at it ever since she transferred! Honestly, does he have anything else to teach?

Krizzie shook her head in disgust. _If my mother had only been rich enough, we could've flown to a different country instead of my father taking over custody…jeez…and that plane ride was so annoying! If Yuki wasn't here, I would've run away instantly! This school is just too…different for my liking!_

She sighed gratefully when the bell began to ring. Students all around her did the same. She got up and headed for her locker, surprisingly, her best friend was there.

"Hi. Ready for a snack?" Yuki asked cheerfully.

"Oh…" Krizzie looked over at the metal doors of the school. "Um…I forgot my wallet at home." she whispered thoughtfully, her face not so worried even though she didn't have any money to get by for the day.

Yuki smacked a hand on her forehead. "Jeez, how stupid can you get?"

"More than you can imagine." Krizzie told her. Yuki gave her a confused look. Krizzie merely shrugged.

"So, are you going to lend me some money?"

--

Izawa threw a disgusted look on his tuna sandwich. "I hate tuna sandwich…" he passed it over to Taro, who took it sighing.

"You're wasting food Mamoru." he remarked. Izawa pretended to gag.

"That's not what you would call food."

Ishizaki appeared and snatched the sandwich away from the midfielder's hand. "I'll take it then, my mom didn't give me any food."

Tsubasa appeared behind the monkey boy. "What he means to say is: he forgot it at home."

Everyone laughed and stopped only when they saw two girls running towards them. "It's Yuki-san and Krizzie-san." Izawa said, taking half of Taro's club sandwich. Taro didn't seem to mind.

Yuki walked over to them and offered her usual grin. "Who had extra money?"

When nobody nodded, she sighed and turned to her friend. "Sorry."

Krizzie merely shrugged. "It's okay, I'll get by. You didn't have to do it."

Yuki sighed again and took out her wallet. "I'm going to by something and let's just share."

"No." Krizzie said firmly. "I'll just go to my house and get something to eat there. It's not very far." she flashed her friend a small smile before running to the school gates and disappearing after she made a turn.

Genzou walked over. "Why was she running?" He looked at Yuki. "Did you scare her with your cheerleading pom-poms?"

Yuki glared at him. "No. She just went home to get some food."

With that, she stomped off towards the canteen, scooting over to Sanae and Kumi. Genzou waited until the team dispersed, leaving him, Taro and Izawa.

"So, you guys with me?" Genzou asked, not really sure if they still trust him.

"Yes." Taro said confidently, since he had an advantage against the goalkeeper. Izawa seemed to be still deep in thought. He looked at Genzou, and then at Taro. Finally he sighed, a sign of giving in.

"Fine. But if anything bad happens, nobody's going to blame me."

--

When they were very, VERY sure that nobody would notice, the three-man team slipped out. Retracing the steps they made the yesterday.

They found the gate lock. Genzou rang the doorbell.

Krizzie was the one who opened it. And to their surprise, she was once again, dressed in her cleaning clothes.

"What the hell are you guys doing here?" she hissed at them, looking behind her. "What if my father sees you?"

Genzou shrugged. "We," he paused, wincing from the nudge in the ribs his companions sent him. "I mean, I was curious to as why you were leaving the campus." he lied smoothly.

"Well, I came home to eat." she replied, frowning.

Izawa raised a brow. "With THAT on?" he asked incredulously.

Krizzie sighed. "I'm cleaning our attic, happy? Plus, I really don't have enough money to buy anything at the canteen." she waited. "Well, aren't you going to leave now?"

"No." Taro said. "If you like, we would even help you."

**What do you think? I worked hard on this chapter. Please press that little purply little button down there, it would surely make you're sick author very happy. (I'm sick and I didn't go to school, I probably wouldn't go for a long time…sigh…and I was about to have a perfect attendance too…)**

**Sayonara**

**Krizzie**


	6. Chapter 6

**Weird School, Same Weird Students**

**By: Krizzie**

**Summary:** School… when asked about it, most students say "Boring!" or "Yawn…" without any care at all. The hardworking ones say it's great and a great place to learn but a certain boy's view about it is different. For Genzou Wakabayashi, school is what you call… WEIRD.

Disclaimer: I don't own Captain Tsubasa, if I did, Krizzie would be there to wreck havoc on the team! Ha! Ha! Seriously, I don't own it.

AU The happenings in this story do not match on the original storyline of the anime or manga. Obviously, since Genzou was a student in Nankatsu rather than in Shutetsu together with Hajime, Teppei and Izawa. I hope you understand.

"Talking"

_Thoughts or Genzou's notebook entries_

SHOUTING OR EMPHASIZED WORDS

**(Small author notes)**

**Chapter 6**

Krizzie stared at Taro hard. He smiled back.

"No." she replied to his question. "Besides, the break would end up in a few minutes. Go home." She made the motion to close the gates but before she could, Genzou had blocked her way. "You're in the way blockhead, move." Krizzie said in an icy tone. Genzou shrugged and pushed past her. "HEY!"

Taro and Izawa followed suit, closing the gates behind them. Taro smiled. "We would just like to find out what's so interesting about your attic that you would take the risk of missing class for it."

Krizzie ran ahead of them and blocked the entrance to their house. "You have no right to enter my house without my permission!" she hissed, looking back and forth from the three of them. They blinked, but they didn't leave. "Leave." she ordered once again. Genzou sighed and made his way out, Taro and Izawa followed.

When they closed the gates, Krizzie sighed and went inside; making sure that she locked the doors behind her.

"Jeez, some people really do need to clean their ears." Krizzie muttered to herself before heaving a big sigh, wincing when her shoulder suddenly bumped to the wall. "Jeez, I'm getting clumsier and clumsier by the minute."

"Krizzie, who was that?" her father asked from upstairs.

"Just some people who can't mind their own business, dad." Krizzie replied nonchalantly. She made her way back to the attic, pulling the stairs down easily. She climbed the wooden stairs and lifted the staircase behind her. She opened the flashlight and began to rummage to her old stuff.

She stooped over to the only window and peered outside, there was no sign of them. She sighed. "Good," she muttered.

She was about to take a particular thing out of the bag next to her when, "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

--

Yuki looked at the field. "Hey, where did the goalkeeper go?" she asked no one in particular.

Sanae shrugged while Kumi scanned the field. "Hey, I don't see Taro and Izawa either." she muttered. Yuki scanned the field again. Where were those three?

She shrugged and let it go. She would never understand boys. Such weird creatures…

--

Genzou covered his ears; he didn't know a girl could scream like that. He glared at Izawa who immediately tried to calm her down. When that failed, he pressed his hands on her mouth.

Taro sighed and uncovered his ears. "You sure have some vocal chords there." he muttered, smiling when he felt Krizzie's glare on him. Izawa immediately removed his hands when she made the motion to bite them.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing here?" she hissed. Izawa went beside Taro and flashed her a nervous smile.

"Uh…well…um…you see…we…Genzou…" Izawa began sweating profusely. Krizzie rolled her eyes and redirected them to the irritatingly calm Wakabayashi.

Genzou looked at his nails. "Just curious." he smirked.

"Know about the saying? Curiosity killed the cat?" Krizzie asked through gritted teeth, trying hard to contain her fury. "That just might happen to you and thinking about it…I really wish it would."

Genzou feigned a yawn and smirked. "Yeah, heard about the crap loads of times." he crouched down next to her. "And guess what, I've been doing it for years and I'm still good." Krizzie growled at his statement. Genzou smirked, she didn't quite understand. Oh well, he could do well without her nagging him about respecting other people's privacy.

"Didn't I tell you to leave?" she hissed, half-wondering how the three of them were able to sneak up on her like that. Usually she would have been aware. And how did they get in anyway?

Genzou shrugged. "Yeah, you did BUT…" his smirk widened. He stood up and scanned the attic.

"I should've known you wouldn't listen." She stood up and brushed the dust she had wiped away from the floor when she fell down is surprise. If it was legal, she would've killed the three of them on the spot. She was sure her father kept some old knives up here… now where were they?

Taro looked at the chaotic world around him. His lips formed a lopsided grin. "Wow…your attic sure is tidy."

Krizzie rolled her eyes, stopping from her search for the lost weapons. "Okay, I know things aren't in their proper places so now would you PLEASE leave?" she asked, even lowering her pride enough to put a pleading tone in her voice.

Izawa stubbornly shook his head. "Nah…we'll help you. Practice is getting on my nerves anyway." he began to pick up scattered clothes and toys. "Is this yours Kurisaki-san?" he asked, holding up a small ruffled red dress.

Krizzie looked away, shaking her head.

"Oh." Izawa folded the dress and neatly placed it above an already folded pile.

Genzou stole a glance at his watch. It was five more minutes 'til the bell rang. "You'll miss the next period if you don't get ready now." he told Krizzie, who shrugged and resumed in taking out something from a black plastic bag.

Genzou curiously looked over. "What's that?"

Taro and Izawa stopped what they were doing and looked over at Krizzie. She swiftly took it and ran past them, lowering the staircase and running down. They heard her skid to a stop.

Genzou looked at both of them. Taro was the first to follow. But the scene in front of them forced them to hide within the shadows.

--

"Well, wherever those three idiots are, I sure do hope they wouldn't try anything funny." Sanae told Yuki.

Yuki shrugged. "If Taro's with them, there shouldn't be any problem. That guy's a saint!" she paused. "And he's so darn cute."

"Whatever." Kumi sneered. "Tsubasa-kun is still WAY hotter." she smirked when she felt Sanae's glare on him.

--

Krizzie looked at her father, from his light brown eyes, pale face to his windswept black hair, and gave him an awkward smile.

"What was the scream earlier for Krizzie?" he asked in his deep, booming voice. Krizzie cringed. She knew those three would get her into deep trouble. Darn them and their stupid curiosity!

"Sorry…dad…I…I just slipped and fell. I'm sorry if I disturbed your work…I didn't really mean to." Krizzie stammered; tightening her hold on the object she had intended to run away with. Her father peered at it.

"What are you going to do with that?" he asked.

"I…um…I-I'll place it on my dresser father." she replied.

Taro, Izawa and Genzou hid in the dark, hanging unto every word. It surprised them that Krizzie didn't mention anything about them breaking in.

"Clean it first." Mr. Kurisaki looked at the attic. "You can some down now."

Krizzie and the boys froze, so he knew they were there. Krizzie swore under her breath she would make them PAY!

The three shared nervous glances.

"You go first Genzou, this is your idea anyway." Izawa said, pushing him to the staircase. Genzou looked at him in disbelief before pulling him upright and literally throwing him outside, awarding him with a sickening thud. Taro winced.

"Ow…that must've hurt."

Izawa stood up, frowning at the bruises that formed on his arms. "Fuck you Genzou." he muttered, glaring at the attic opening. Remembering what happened, he looked back at Mr. Kurisaki. _What do I do? What do I do? What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?_

_**You get up and go away.**_

_I'm not sure that's such a good idea._

_**Why not?**_

_Um…by looking at Krizzie's murderous glare?_

_**Tsk…tsk…that's just a girl.**_

_Yeah, a girl who can KILL ME!_

_**You're weak.**_

_HEY! I'm not! Who are you anyway?_

_**I'm Mamoru Izawa.**_

_I'm Mamoru Izawa. What are you talking about? AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY HEAD?_

**_I know you're Mamoru Izawa, unlike you, I'm not stupid. And if it ain't obvious enough, I'm here because I have nowhere else to go._**

_Huh?_

_**We're one.**_

Krizzie raised a brow, looking at Izawa's bewildered look. Her father isn't THAT eye-catching, is he? Izawa continued his inner-self battle.

_I don't understand you._

_**Sigh…you're not just weak, you're also stupid.**_

_NANI?_

_**I'm your ever-strong, smart and handsome conscience.**_

_I think you better add BIG-HEADED with that. _

_**I AM NOT BIG-HEADED!**_

_Whoa, be careful, your BIG head might explode._

_**Why you treacherous LITTLE rodent!**_

_I am NOT a LITTLE rodent, BIGHEAD!_

Now, it was Mr. Kurisaki's turn to raise a brow. Why was that young lad smiling like a complete idiot? He was not THAT bad-looking, is he?

**_Hey genius (insert sarcastic tone here), I think you better stop talking with me and start talking with them._**

_What? (Narrows eyes, earning another suspicious gaze from father and daughter) I'll pretend I didn't hear your stupid remark._

**_(Rolls eyes…if consciences have eyes) Krizzie and her dad, they're giving you nasty looks._**

_Oh crap!_

Izawa straightened up, his arms stiff at his sides and feet pressed together on the ground. All he needed to do now was do a three-finger salute and he'll look like a total idiot. Instead, he grinned.

Now he looked like a complete wacko… I bet Mr. Kurisaki is thinking about calling the mental… I heard they have some free rooms up there…

"Um, young lad. Kindly tell me your name." Mr. Kurisaki asked, inching away from Izawa and dragging his daughter with him.

"Mamoru Izawa at your service sir!" Izawa exclaimed. Taro looked at him from the attic. Man, Izawa has lost it BAD.

"Mamoru-san, can you please leave now?" Mr. Kurisaki asked.

Izawa relaxed and looked at the older man. "One question sir."

"Yes?"

Izawa looked at his pale eyes. "Why are you letting your daughter stay here to clean during break time when it's possible for her to miss a class or two?"

Mr. Kurisaki paused before eyeing his daughter. Krizzie looked away. She flashed Izawa a glare.

"I thought you have no class today." he told her with a frown. Krizzie looked up with a nervous smile.

"Hehehehe…uh…oops?"

--

Genzou rubbed his jaw, which was currently red…and when I say red, I mean RED.

"Why did you have to punch me like that?" he whined to a very pissed Krizzie.

"Because you were the one who initiated this 'quest'" Krizzie growled, even making quotation marks with her fingers to prove her point.

Genzou narrowed his eyes to the point that they were merely slits and pointed over to happy Taro and Izawa, smiling and UNdamaged. "Then why'd you spare them?"

Krizzie smiled. "Because they have less to do with this than you do."

"Last time I checked, it doesn't have to do with how large or little you contributed." he grumbled, rubbing his swollen jaw.

"Mm…but people have different judgments." Krizzie replied with a smile.

"Hey! Izawa was the one who talked to your father." Genzou reasoned. Krizzie placed a finger under her chin, appearing to be thoughtful.

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that."

Genzou smirked as a shooting star appeared in the sky.

--

"Hey look! A shooting star!" Kumi squealed pointing at the sky.

Sanae followed her finger. She frowned, confused. "In broad daylight?"

--

Taro winced, shaking his head making his brown tresses sway around him. "Poor Izawa…I feel sorry for you man."

"Serves him right for getting me in trouble." Krizzie muttered, crossing her arms. Genzou smiled in satisfaction. At least he wasn't the only one who tasted the bloody woman's wrath.

They entered the campus as soon as Izawa dropped from the sky, all dizzy and spinning. "Wow…I saw Mars! Though I have to say… it doesn't look like the chocolate kind…"

"You okay?" Taro asked, looking at his friend suspiciously.

"Ain't it obvious?" Izawa grumbled sarcastically. Krizzie crossed her arms, raised a brow and smirked at him, daring him just to retort. He kept quiet.

"TARO-KUN!" a certain Yuki squealed, glomping a poor Taro Misaki.

Krizzie and Genzou winced. "Ouch." they chorused.

Izawa blinked stupidly, thinking, _Are girls really this violent? Now all three of us are injured more or less…_

Yuki grinned when she saw Krizzie and preceded to glomp her as well, but Krizzie moved just in time and her poor friend ended up swallowing some leaves on the bush behind her.

"Wuudd juu moob?" Yuki asked, spitting out the leaves. When Krizzie didn't reply, she repeated her question. "Why'd you move?"

Krizzie raised a brow, if it isn't so obvious. "Krizzie Kurisaki does not do hugs." she stated firmly.

Yuki grinned. "I should've known."

Genzou raised a brow before slipping away, taking his notebook and pencil out.

_Okay, here we go again. They're fighting, Kurisaki and Tamane I mean…about that Tamane girl…I don't know why the hell I teased her earlier, guess I was just bored. Anyway, we went to Kurisaki's house…her father doesn't seem weird, or is it because there was somebody else on the house? Maybe I should invite Taro and Izawa to sneak up in the house again and this time, we can't afford to be seen. Man, my jaw still hurts! Damn woman…so troublesome…_

He stole a look at the canteen, where they were all now gathered and witnessed an interesting sight. He quickly pocketed his stuff and strode over to the commotion.

--

Yuki squealed for the umpteenth time, causing Krizzie to groan as she dug her hands deeper on her ears. _Man, can this girl get a pitch higher?_ Krizzie thought, frowning.

They watched the scene unfold. Taro, smiling. Izawa, just looking. Yuki, squealing and Krizzie, frowning. Her amber eyes went to where Tsubasa was kneeling in front of a flustered Sanae and rolled her eyes thinking, _Jeez, it's not like he would ask her to marry him. Really, what's up with these people?_

Genzou caught her annoyed look and smirked. So the girl disliked mushy stuff, wonder why?

"Um…S-Sanae chan…would you…um…w-would you…um…i-if it's okay… I-I-I…um…I mean… d-do you think… um… y-you could a-accompany me to the…um…i-if you want… I… I-I'm n-not forcing you… b-but I r-really would like it… if…you…um… you now… come with me to the dance?" Tsubasa stammered, holding Sanae's hand.

Sanae brightened and enveloped Tsubasa into a big hug. "Of course silly!"

Cheering erupted in the crowd; the loudest of all had to be Yuki. Krizzie groaned and backed away. "Man, what's the deal with this dance anyway? I mean it's just a stupid dance." she groaned, taking her palms off her ears when she was in a safe distance away from the mob.

"So…you wouldn't go?" a male voice asked. Krizzie turned around to see Izawa smiling at her.

She shrugged. "I don't know."

"So…is there a chance that you would go?"

"Maybe… if Yuki's going. I guess it would be tolerable…" Krizzie frowned. "That is… if she won't be squealing all day long."

"Actually, it'll go on until midnight." Izawa chuckled, seeing her scrunched-up face. "Say, would you mind if you go as my date?"

Krizzie looked at him, clearly surprised. It was the first time someone asked her to be their date, and he had asked her so…calmly! When they had this similar celebration in Brazil, nobody dared approach her…but she had this nagging feeling it has something to do with the bully she had beaten to a pulp on the first day of school. She thought about it for a while before staring deep into Izawa's eyes, asking the question that had always bothered her when making an appointment with somebody else.

"What if I don't show up?"

Izawa shrugged. "No big deal. I'll just be spending my time alone…" After a while, he added. "…watching other couples dance while I quietly sip my drink alone in a lone table. See? It will be alright."

Krizzie raised a brow before breaking into a large grin. "Are you trying to make me feel guilty?"

Izawa grinned back. "Is it working?"

Krizzie laughed. "Okay... I'll think about it… on one condition."

"And what is that?"

"If Yuki starts squealing, you'll help me get rid of her." She frowned. "My ears have suffered a great deal enough today."

"I heard that." Yuki growled from behind Krizzie. The black-haired girl yelped, whispered her response on Izawa's ear then ran away, with an enraged Yuki hot on her heels.

Izawa watched them ran off and went towards the pitch, where everyone was already getting ready…well, more or less. It looked like they were still teasing Tsubasa and Sanae. Sometimes, he was grateful that he just a nobody. It was unnerving to have people surround you and know everything you do, look at Sanae and Tsubasa now; they practically look like a pair of overripe tomatoes!

He walked over to Taro and Genzou, both were passing the ball back and forth. Taro passed the ball to him before turning to Genzou.

"Hey Genzou, you got a date yet?" the midfielder asked.

"Nope…I think I won't attend… but I'm having second thoughts. I'm thinking about asking this one girl out." Genzou replied before taking the ball from Izawa and passing to Taro who passed it back. "How about you?" he passed the ball back to Izawa, who said,

"Whoa dude, seriously? You're thinking about a girl?" Izawa pretended to faint, earning a lethal glare from the goalkeeper. Izawa laughed it off.

Taro thought for a while, receiving Izawa's pass. "I have a girl in mind…"

And then, Tsubasa called everyone for practice. Turns out, he's already pissed by all the attention.

--

Krizzie rested on her back, peering from her hiding place. She sighed when Yuki ran past her. That girl could become a demon when she wanted to. Man, you should've seen those veins on her head!

She quietly jumped from above the tree and proceeded to go to class. At least Yuki won't go there. She has a job on the pitch; she would be safe in the four walls of her classroom.

--

Green eyes darted back and forth, observing every corner, every speck of dirt… unfortunately, or fortunately for a certain victim, not every leaf of greenery.

Yuki growled when she noticed a faint dark blur whiz past her. That girl got away from her again!

She frowned when she caught sight of Krizzie waving at her from upstairs. Yuki stuck her tongue out at her, thinking, _Next time buddy, you won't be so lucky._

She returned to the pitch, even having the audacity to nudge a very, VERY goaded Sanae Nakazawa.

_I'm thinking that was a bad idea._ Yuki said to herself before sprinting for her life.

--

Krizzie smirked when she caught sight of her BEST friend running away from a VERY, VERY angry Sanae. Shaking her head, she muttered in self-satisfaction, "Ah…karma."

Her fun was cut off though, when that stupid bell rang on the opposite wall.

--

"And if you add the square of…"

Krizzie growled before tuning out the BORING voice of her old, not to mention, dirty, math teacher. She looked from the balding hair to the inflated stomach covered by a thick wool sweater over an aging business suit then her eyes darted down to his ripped, if not, destroyed, slacks and a pair of muddy boots.

"Jeez, and I thought I saw the weirdest guys back at Brazil." she muttered to herself before copying everything that was on a board. Though old, their teacher still has that sick hobby of giving out pop quizzes when students least expect it.

--

"OH C'MON! CAN'T YOU RUN ANY FASTER? GOD, MY PET TURTLE CAN EVEN OUTRUN YOU IN THAT PACE!" Yuki yelled through a pink megaphone that she got from who-knows-where. All they know is that they will be a million times happier if it wasn't there.

"For the fifteenth and last time Tamane, SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Genzou yelled from his post, his face already red from anger. Yuki flashed her middle finger at him before turning to her love.

"TARO-KUN! AISHITERU!"

"Why this again?" Izawa asked, shaking his head. Yuki had been better-behaved ever since that day Krizzie transferred. He wanted to know why the hell she returned to her 'usual' self now of all the fucking times.

"Hey Teppei!" Izawa yelled, ignoring the squeals that erupted from the deranged pink megaphone. He passed the ball to his teammate and decreased his speed, peering over to the cheerleader. Instead of her manager clothes, the Tamane heir decided to change into a purple spaghetti-strap shirt and a pleated pink skirt that ended on her mid-thigh, giving her spectators a view of her tanned legs, result of her cheerleading training for hours under the hot sun, and of course, occasional trips to the beach.

Izawa sighed as he received a pass from Hajime and kicked it over to Tsubasa. He glanced over at Genzou, who was becoming more and more aggravated, he quickly ran beside Taro.

"Hey, take a look at Genzou." he whispered.

Taro faked a big smile. "Wow…he's really unaffected, isn't he?"

Izawa chuckled. "First time I heard your sarcasm."

Taro smiled. "Odd times go for desperate measures."

Izawa smiled before going beside Teppei to help them launch an attack.

--

"POP QUIZ!" the old man said in a rough voice.

Krizzie snapped out of her trance and looked at her old teacher. She frowned. Why, oh why do good views only exist in her imagination?

"The real world has gone mad." she said, more to herself than anyone. She groaned as she watched him distribute the blasted papers. Grabbing one from his pudgy hands, she immediately wrote her answers, not really caring if they were accurate or not.

--

Sanae blew her whistle, much to the relief of all the soccer players. It was a nice change from the insistent squeals from the bloody megaphone.

Yuki pouted. "Aww…Taro was only about to shoot." she complained, scowling at Sanae. The older girl ignored her while she concentrated in handing out the water bottles and towels. "You interrupted him when he was about to score a goal on Wakabayashi-teme."

Taro smiled at the team's only cheerleader. "Actually, this rest is very well needed." Inwardly, he added, _Especially by my ears._

Genzou smirked, reading Taro's mind through his transparent fake grin. He took a water bottle from Sanae and literally dumped its contents down his throat, savoring the refreshing feeling it brought. He looked at Yuki, scowling darkly when her words repeated in his mind. Taro? Score on him? Yeah, right! In his dreams! Genzou smirked when Yuki stuck a tongue out at him. That's when he remembered what she called him. _Wakabayashi-teme huh? We'll see about that._

Yuki scowled when Sanae paid no attention to her and proceeded to drop her ultra-annoying megaphone –much to everyone's relief- and sat down beside Kumi.

"Hey." she called to her fellow manager.

"Hi!" Kumi replied with much more enthusiasm.

"So, you have a date for the dance yet?" Yuki asked as she stared at Taro chat with Genzou and Izawa. Eyebrows finely knit together; she wondered what the hell the three were chatting about. It had to be one of the rare times she saw those three together, and she has this feeling that they're not talking about cute soccer players.

"Dunno…nobody's asked me yet." Kumi replied, shaking Yuki off her trance. "Too bad Sanae-chan already got her hands on Tsubasa-kun."

Yuki only faintly heard a part of her reply, not that she cared anyway. She was mostly concentrated on the trio over there talking about God-knows-what. "Excuse me, would you?" she asked as politely as she can before walking over to the tree, of course she opted for a more…let's say…unknown entrance.

--

Genzou crossed his arms as he thought about it. But even though he replayed it on his mind for over fifty times, he still couldn't get used to the idea of breaking in. "Izawa, that's illegal."

"Who says snooping's not?" he scoffed. Genzou resisted the urge to punch his pretty little face.

"Hey, calm down. I thought we're here to device a plan to successfully penetrate Kurisaki's house WITHOUT using illegal means." Taro said calmly. He paused. "Actually, the skeletal plan is already illegal. We cannot penetrate someone's house without his/her permission."

"Ah…" Genzou said in a mocking tone. "Listen to the ever-respectful Taro Misaki. Come on!"

Izawa glared at Genzou. "Why do we have to go to her house anyway?"

"To know hidden secrets Mamoru." Genzou replied, a hidden glint suddenly appearing on his eyes. "Like the Yamashita's treasure for example."

Izawa tried hard not to look too bored. "That's a legend."

"That has a very high possibility of being bogus" Taro backed up. Right now, he was beginning to doubt Genzou's sanity. "And to tell you the truth, I really think this idea has a high possibility of turning out… a failure."

Genzou raised his hands in defeat, flashing a dangerous glare at Taro. "Fine, fine, you guys win."

They winced when Sanae blew her whistle, this time with higher intensity.

Izawa sighed, standing up from his sitting position on the grass. "That's it then. I'll just meet you guys at the gate." He flashed Genzou a very dangerous look. "And this time, I better come out of this UNHARMED."

Genzou chuckled nervously, surprisingly threatened by the glare before he nodded. Taro smiled as his face lightened with amusement.

--

Yuki sighed.

Man, her position was nothing like best… and worse, she only gotten fragments of their 'boy-to-boy' conversation.

And by the look on her face, we could say all she got were the ones irrelevant.

Yuki heaved another sigh, her mood changed completely though, when she caught sight of a certain brown-haired midfielder getting ready for another round of practice.

Excitedly, she ran and made a grab for her preposterously pink megaphone.

--

"AISHITERU TARO-KUN!"

Krizzie winced when the high-pitched voice of her best friend reached her ears. She looked up, only to see the expectant face of her math teacher. Fighting the urge to roll her eyes, she angrily shoved her papers on his waiting eyes.

His eyebrows shot up but he made no comment on her behavior. He, instead, scanned the contents of his papers.

"You've got mistakes." he stated, as if he expected every one of his students to get a perfect score.

"I don't care." she replied bluntly. She looked at the clock. It was ten minutes more until the precious bell rang. Man, she hated math, well, not really but this teacher is just so… WEIRD!

"Check." he demanded, shoving the papers back on her face. If she wasn't so restless, she would've stood up to him but for once, she'll act like a good girl and follow her weird teacher.

She glared hard at him, stuck out her tongue and hissed a curse before turning her attention back to her paper. Okay, so maybe she won't back down without en much of a fight…but hey, the teacher got off pretty easily all ready!

"SENSEI! I AM FINISHED!" Jerry Hisashime, the guy with the weird polka-dotted polo shirt shouted.

The teacher gave him a nasty look. "You say: I'm done, not I'm finished Jerry. You're making it sound as if you're dead."

Jerry blushed before standing up and giving his papers to the teacher, all the while ears red from embarrassment.

"Idiot." Terry, his twin sister, muttered hitting him on the head once he sat down. "Why do you make such a fool of yourself?" she said. Krizzie eyed her dark face, wondering why the hell would anybody want black paint on their faces. She raised a brow when she noticed the dark lines surrounding the girl's desk.

She groaned as she looked back at her paper… "If I ever get out of this alive, I'll make sure to screw those people who decided that staying with me father was a better idea." she muttered darkly, rechecking the contents of her bloody test paper. "Mental note: Make a time machine and kill the ones who invented math."

After ten seconds, she gave up, stood up and literally dumped the papers on his shitty hands and whispered in a snake-like voice, "Don't you ever...ever fucking make me try to recheck my papers again." She made an unfeminine-like sound just as the bell rang in a distance.

--

Taro grimaced when Yuki trapped him in a bone-crushing hug. "Um…Y-Yuki-chan…uh…a-air w-would really do me good r-right now." he stammered. The cheerleader immediately let go and pecked him on the cheek before giggling madly and running back to the benches, where she was supposed to be stationed anyway.

Taro blinked, trying to assess the situation at hand. Unfortunately, his mind had stopped functioning for quite a few moments. Instinctively, his hands made their way to his kissed cheek.

Genzou snorted before kicking a soccer ball aimed at the midfielder's head. It was a direct hit, and Taro was out of his fantasy world almost immediately.

"Snap out of it." Shingo joked beside Taro. "First time, lover boy?"

Taro glared at the defender. "I am NOT a lover boy." he protested.

Shingo took one step back, placing his arms in front of him defensively. He grinned nervously before getting out of Taro's gaze. It was the first time he saw the Misaki boy angry.

Genzou smirked before going to the canteen. Finally, it was lunch time.

--

Krizzie looked beside her after closing her locker door. She sighed when she didn't find Yuki nor any sign of her. At least now, she would have some privacy with her.

She dug her hand on her pocket and took out the money she had taken from her house earlier that day. Counting it with her fingers, she smiled. She had enough to last her through lunch.

Then she made her way towards the canteen, careful not to let Yuki see her. She sighed in relief when she caught sight of the only Nankatsu cheerleader going googly-eyes on Taro, who, unfortunately for him, was stuck in his place with a rope that Krizzie suspected came from her math teacher's stuff.

She allowed a small smile despite herself.

--

"Move, GODDAMN IT! Genzou cursed in his mind as he stared at the python-like queue at the canteen door. He had been standing for more than fifteen minutes and by the looks of it, the line hasn't advance yet.

Genzou resorted to muttering inaudible curses under his breath when his fellow liners gave him irritated looks.

"Hey Wakabayashi, making a fool out of yourself now that you're out of your league?"

"Shut up." Genzou growled, glaring at none other than Ryo Ishizaki.

The defender snickered. "You know, you should've tried going between the line." he suggested, walking past him. "Or maybe, even in front."

Genzou snorted as Ishizaki made his way towards the counter. His jaw dropped, however, when the girl gave the soccer player what he requested almost immediately.

"Whoa…that was new." Genzou said to himself.

He scowled when the said defender sent a triumphant smirk his way before heading towards one of the cafeteria tables.

"Sometimes I really wish he would swallow his head and die." Genzou muttered.

"Yeah, I wish so too."

Genzou turned around and almost yelped when he saw a certain black-haired girl behind him.

"Hey dude, seen a ghost or something?" Krizzie asked in annoyance after he gawked at her for three whole minutes. Genzou closed his mouth and muttered,

"Do people have to sneak up on me nowadays?"

He jumped when Krizzie responded, "Get used to it, stupid."

He raised a brow when she suddenly overtook him, took some food that was exposed on the counter, dropped her money next to the cashier and left. Honestly, what was wrong with this school?

**Um yeah, the last part was just some useless crap. Sue me, but my hands were the one who wrote that. Bear with it… he…he… okay, if you won't ask any quessies, I WILL! One: Why isn't the line moving? Two: Why are people addicted to surprising Wakabayashi? Three: Why are girls so darn violent? And last: WHY IS THIS SCHOOL SO GODDAMN DIFFERENT? **

**Remember people: Reviews are always good for a sadistic author!**

**Sayonara**

**Krizzie**


	7. Chapter 7

**Weird School, Same Weird Students**

**By: Krizzie**

**Summary:** School… when asked about it, most students say "Boring!" or "Yawn…" without any care at all. The hardworking ones say it's great and a great place to learn but a certain boy's view about it is different. For Genzou Wakabayashi, school is what you call… WEIRD.

Disclaimer: I don't own Captain Tsubasa, ain't it obvious?

**AU** The happenings in this story do not match on the original storyline of the anime or manga. Obviously, since Genzou was a student in Nankatsu rather than in Shutetsu together with Shingo, Hajime, Teppei and Izawa. I hope you understand.

"Talking"

_Thoughts, flashbacks or Genzou's notebook entries _

SHOUTING OR EMPHASIZED WORDS

**(Small author notes)**

**Chapter 7**

_Okay, I'm having lunch… and I have to admit, it's not half-bad but my mother's cooking really is better. Well, whatever. Want to know how I managed to buy my food? I followed Ishizaki and Krizzie's example, went in front of the fucking line and bought my food. The cashier girl even blew me a kiss. Jeez, such low-lives. Well, frankly, I don't care. It's just that I'm too bored right now, and I would go as far as to play tic-tac-toe if nothing interesting popped up._

_I need a new notebook. _Genzou immediately shut his notebook, which was on its last page, when Yuki neared him.

"Whatcha doing?" she asked in her usual preppy voice.

"Shouldn't you be bothering Taro?" he asked. He really wanted his privacy right now. (Some nerve, when he, himself, was sneaking up on people. Jeez…)

Yuki frowned. "Bothering?"

Genzou closed his mouth. He didn't want to be shouted at right now. He already has a lot of problems to think about without Yuki on his back thank you very much.

"Bothering?" Yuki repeated. "What do you mean by that?"

"Exactly what it's meant to mean." Genzou said with a snort before returning to his notes.

Yuki scoffed before grabbing the notebook away from his hands. "What is this thing you're so interested in anyway?" Genzou's heartbeats began to resound in his head, together with the sound of alarm bells and police sirens. If Yuki was able to read what was inside… he was dead.

Genzou remained calm. There would be no use if he started to panic, it would only seem more suspicious. He looked at his side, grabbed his drink and took a sip before looking at her in the eye. He needed that drink to calm his nerves. "Why, you jealous because some notebook stole my attention away from you?"

Yuki flushed but remained her ground. "As if!" she tossed him his notebook, for which he was thankful. She didn't peek in. "I wouldn't want attention from you." she continued on in a futile attempt to save her pride. Damn her for letting the blood to flow on her cheeks! "I only want attention from Taro-koi…"

"Yeah, right." Genzou said as he stood up. "And I'm the next president of Great Britain."

Yuki frowned. "Great Britain has a monarchy government." she said, visibly confused.

Genzou didn't know if she was faking it or if she really didn't know what he was trying to say. He settled for a casual answer. "Exactly."

--

"Hey."

Krizzie looked up from her salad to look at dark orbs. Once she caught sight of the face, she immediately looked down and resumed eating. "What's up Misaki?"

Taro grinned sheepishly. "Well, I don't know why I came to you but can you please hear me out?" That wasn't exactly the reason but the midfielder convinced himself that it was half-true. Besides, he wouldn't want to know how the girl would react if he told her the truth.

"What is it?" Krizzie asked, drinking from her iced tea. "If it's a math question, don't get your hopes up too high."

"It doesn't have anything to do with academics…"

"Then shoot." Krizzie tossed her plate and cup on the trash bin.

Taro sat down next to her on the grass. He contemplated on how to tell her and thought about why he was here in the first place. He was just walking around when he saw the black-haired girl in a secluded area behind one of the school's oldest trees. "Well, here's the situation," he checked if she was listening before he continued. "There was this guy… then this person really liked him a lot." Taro swallowed. This was more difficult than he imagined. "But then, the person knew the guy was out of reach… and then someone confessed love to the guy and the guy told her he loved her too and the person was devastated…"

"Um… Misaki, is this some sort of puzzle you heard somewhere?" Krizzie interrupted, thinking if she was experiencing those cliché things on the TV where some person says something about a friend when it was really he/she that was having the problem.

Taro paused, and then nodded.

Krizzie looked unsure for a moment but nodded, playing with her fork. She didn't know if Taro was that kind of person and she decided it was better off if she just kept quiet. "Okay, I'll listen. Go on."

"So… the person went into depression… but then someone asked the person out but the person wasn't sure if it was possible to open one's heart again for a new love…" Taro swallowed before thinking about what he would say next. He settled for the common last question. "If you were the person Krizzie, what would you do?" He looked at Krizzie, who stared back at him. Now, she was positive it was something like those in the movies but she kept the thought to herself. Taro trusted her enough to tell this to her and she would like to keep the trust but at the moment, she didn't know what to reply to the brown-haired midfielder.

Blink.

Blink.

Taro looked away and placed his hands between his thighs, fidgeting uncomfortable. "Well?"

Krizzie stood up and dusted off her slacks. "I'm not one for those kinds of puzzles, don't ask me." She helped him up. "Go ask Yuki, Tsubasa, Sanae… Kumi or Ishizaki but certainly not me…" Krizzie then left the scene.

Taro sighed. It seemed that she couldn't solve the puzzle either. He wondered if she thought he was weird but brushed the thought aside. Krizzie herself was weird; he need not worry about anything.

He watched as she walked away but then blinked when she turned and grinned. "Hey Misaki!"

"Hm?" Taro asked, thankful his voice hadn't given up on him just yet.

"How did you get away from Yuki's clutches?" Krizzie grinned.

"…"

"You used the puppy-face, didn't you?"

"…"

"Well?"

"Um…kinda?"

--

Yuki stared at Genzou's retreating back before shaking her red face. What was happening to her? Why was she acting like a lovesick girl? That was totally unlike her… well… it wasn't like her but it wasn't really unlike her… Yuki thought about it for a while… if she wasn't like it and she wasn't unlike it… then what was it?

"Hey." A greeting made her stop her foolish argument.

"Hi!" Yuki greeted back to her black-haired friend. "What's up Kriz?"

"The sky, obviously." Krizzie stole a glance at her. "You're red."

Yuki's blush deepened.

"What happened?"

Yuki laughed nervously then taught about the answer Krizzie would most likely give. She grinned sheepishly. "Um… the blood rose to my cheeks for absolutely no reason at all?" Even to her, it sounded like a dumb question.

"Right…" Krizzie crossed her arms. "And fairies exist."

"They do?" came Yuki's feint innocent voice.

Krizzie's eyes narrowed. "Yuki…"

Yuki sighed.

Krizzie started tapping her foot on the ground, her face void of emotion but if you could read a person, you would say she was absolutely annoyed. Why wouldn't she when Yuki was obviously returning to her confusing mindset?

Yuki reflected about it for a while; trying to come up with words that would less aggravate her friend. In the end, she settled for the answer that directly answered the question. "Well… I think my little crush on Genzou is… um… blossoming again?"

She waited for a reaction.

"That's it?"

Okay, she wasn't expecting that.

"What do you mean 'that's it'?" Yuki exclaimed, throwing her hands on Krizzie's shoulders. "This is like… MAJOR DISASTER GIRL! My reputation as the only girl who hates Genzou is ruined!"

Krizzie gently pried her hands away. When she finished that successfully, she looked directly at the green orbs, her look almost hallucinating. "Look, number one: you don't have that kind of reputation. Number two: you're not the only one who hates Wakabayashi Genzou and number three: you're 'major disaster' is like a minor problem compared to the problems of our fucking math teacher!" she hissed.

Yuki sighed. "Okay, maybe I am overreacting… bbut… but… I just don't know what to do! I mean, I have successfully ignored him for… for TWO GODDAMN YEARS and now it's happening all over again! My addiction I mean…"

Krizzie shrugged. "Go see Taro, ask him out to the dance, forget about Wakabayashi and it's done."

Yuki played with her fingers. "Um… I already tried that."

Krizzie looked at her. "Well, that's good…" she paused. "What's the problem?"

"It didn't work out."

Krizzie raised a brow. "He rejected you?"

"N-No… well, not exactly."

Now, Krizzie was really confused. "There's no 'not exactly'. There's only a yes or a no."

Yuki sweated. "Well, I asked him out earlier… well, he said he would think about it."

Krizzie rolled her eyes, feeling exasperated. "Then you can't say that he rejected you yet! C'mon, the guy needs to think!"

Yuki frowned. "Well, if he likes me, then he shouldn't have to think it over!"

"You're so childish!' Krizzie exclaimed. "C'mon, maybe you took the guy by surprise! Even I would have to think it over when someone asks me out in the middle of nowhere!"

Yuki hugged herself. "B-But… I've been really… honest about my feelings towards him. He should've known already that I would ask him!"

"Whatever!"

Now Yuki was mad. "What kind of friend are you? Why are you… why are you acting like you don't care about me? Friends look out for each other and you haven't been like that to me ever since…ever since..." Yuki stopped, her hiccups going louder. "And to think I told you about this…"

Krizzie snorted. "Well, it wasn't like I asked you to."

Yuki wiped away her tears. "Well, fine! If you want to act like a cold-hearted bitch, that's up to you but don't expect me to FUCKING TOLERATE YOU!"

"I'm going to class." And with a final huff, Krizzie climbed the stairs to her room. Yuki wiped away her stray tears and went for the pitch. Krizzie didn't understand her, she never did, she never would.

**Whoa… this chap is overloaded with drama and conflict! Hell yeah! Review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Weird School, Same Weird Students**

**By: Krizzie**

**Summary:** School… when asked about it, most students say "Boring!" or "Yawn…" without any care at all. The hardworking ones say it's great and a great place to learn but a certain boy's view about it is different. For Genzou Wakabayashi, school is what you call… WEIRD.

Disclaimer: I don't own Captain Tsubasa. **I DO NOT OWN THE SONGS PRESENT IN THIS CHAPTER EITHER. **There. I said it.

**AU** The happenings in this story do not match on the original storyline of the anime or manga. Obviously, since Genzou was a student in Nankatsu rather than in Shutetsu together with Shingo, Hajime, Teppei and Izawa. I hope you understand.

"Talking"

_Thoughts, flashbacks or Genzou's notebook entries _

SHOUTING OR EMPHASIZED WORDS

**(Small author notes)**

**Chapter 8**

Genzou deposited the money at the counter before leaving the store, staring at the notebook adorned with a large puppy's face on his hand.

He was going to write down his thoughts earlier, as it was his routine, when he discovered that the pages on his beloved notebook have run out. He hid the old one inside his drawer at home and locked it before going to the bookstore to buy a new one.

_Why am I even doing this? _

He had asked the question numerous times and satisfied himself with the answer that it was a hobby he had gotten a little too used to. Staring at the enormous mansion, he sighed before taking out the keys to his house and entering it without another word. The young Wakabayashi was greeted with polite greetings and brief nods but he paid no heed to them.

He went up his room, took a seat and got ready to write, taking out the pen he had bought with the notebook earlier.

He began to jot down in black ink what he wished he could reason out with people in Nankatsu High.

_**Nov. 19, 2005 Saturday**_

_I'm beginning to doubt even starting this 'snooping' business. It does cost a lost and takes out a lot of my time but I guess it's worth it. I mean, it's not everyday you can play with some people like Mamoru for example. Yesterday was totally heated; a lot of happenings on one day. I was even almost discovered by Yuki! But luck is still on my side and I'm not planning on giving up on this job just yet. I still have a plan to fulfill._

Genzou closed his notebook, placed it inside his bag, took the phone and began to dial a number.

"Ugh…Hello? Who is this?" the gruff voice of his classmate said groggily. Genzou could tell he had woken him up with his phone call.

"Mamoru? It's Genzou."

That seemed to wake his teammate up. He smirked when he sounded the unmistakable sound of the phone meeting the floor and his teammate hurrying to pick it up.. "G-Genzou?"

Genzou rolled his eyes. Didn't he just clarify that? "Yes, good morning. I hope you remember what we have to do this wonderful Saturday Izawa-kun." There was silence on the other line as Izawa contemplated on hanging up on him or shouting at him early in the morning for disturbing his sleep on a peaceful weekend.

"What?" he asked; his suspicion clear.

Genzou frowned. "Our mission Mamoru… don't tell me you have forgotten."

He heard Izawa gasp on the other line. "Oh! That! Um I…I remember now… but…"

Genzou raised a brow. Izawa had agreed, why back out now?

"But what?" Genzou could almost picture Izawa playing with the ends of his hair.

"Well, sorry about this Genzou… but my parents told me that I…I can't go out today… sorry…" he mumbled in a voice so soft that Genzou strained to hear.

Genzou sighed. "Let me talk to them."

"B-But Genzou!"

"Do you want to come or not?"

"…"

"Well?" Genzou asked, raising a brow.

"Not really…" Izawa played with the phone cord, nervously waiting for Genzou's reply. "I don't think this is such a good idea after all… I mean…"

"Mamoru…" the keeper said in a menacing tone that Izawa had anticipated. The forward sighed.

"Okay! Okay! I'll give the phone to them."

Genzou waited, hearing Izawa walking down the stairs and calling out to his parents. Finally, he heard someone on the other line.

"Hello?" It was his mother.

"Excuse me ma'am… this is Genzou Wakabayashi."

"The goalkeeper for Nankatsu?" Genzou could hear the TV being turned down. His first guess was Izawa was ordered to do it.

"Yes ma'am. I called to ask your permission to let your son out." He waited until the woman spoke again.

"Is there a training session for today?" she asked.

Genzou thought about it for a while. Well, he seriously couldn't tell the woman that they were breaking into someone's house. "Yes ma'am… I wanted to train my skills in goalkeeping and at the same time, train my forwards and midfielders. For today, I'm training with Izawa and Taro. For the sake of the team, could you please let Mamoru come?"

He tried to picture what was going on over there. He imagined Izawa's mother looking at him and his teammate fidgeting under her scrutinizing gaze.

"Okay then young lad… but he needs to be home before dark… we have some… preparations to do."

Genzou heard the phone being handed to another person and sighed in relief. He waited until he heard the sound of a door being locked.

"You told them we have practice."

"Yeah...so?"

"Didn't you realize you LIED to MY parents? Besides…I have something else better to do…"

Genzou scoffed. "What? You want me to tell her: Um, ma'am, actually, we're going to break into our classmate's house to find out more about her. I'm sure she wouldn't mind so can Izawa tag along?" he muttered sarcastically. "And what is that 'something' you have to do anyway? Your mom mentioned something about preparations too…"

"Never mind…" Izawa sighed. "You win. I'm just going to get ready. Wait for me at the ice cream parlor."

"Call Taro."

"Fine."

And Izawa hung up.

Genzou smiled to himself. He was going to make sure he finds out about Kurisaki, and find out the cause of her fight with Tamane as well. He was going to do all that and maybe more.

--

"What's up doc?"

Yuki glared at Bugs Bunny on television. How can his life be so goddamn simple when she was here suffering the complicating life of a teenage girl? _Ooh… how I wish I could kill the stupid rabbit…_

She grabbed the remote and closed the TV. The last thing she needed was a part where Daffy Duck blows up, just like she had.

Sighing, she stood up from the couch and got some milk from the fridge, pouring its last contents on a bowl and dumping cereal after it. She made herself some juice before going to her stack of CD's to choose what to listen in. She gave up choosing and just picked up a random one and placed it on her CD player. She turned it out loud.

She sipped her juice and took a bite of her cereal. Who cares if some people don't like the combination? It's her life anyway. People shouldn't care. She waited until the song began.

_Let me know that I've done wrong_

_When I've known this all along_

_I go around a time or two,_

_Just to spend my time with you._

She looked at the radio. Was it trying to tell it something?

_Tell me all that you've thrown away_

_Find out games you don't wanna play. _

_You are, the only one that needs to know._

Yuki took a small bite and chewed it slowly, listening. She grabbed her glass and drank half of the contents. She began to slowly hum with the song.

_I'll keep you my dirty little secret_

_(Dirty little secret)_

_Don't tell anyone or you'll be just another regret_

_(Just another regret, hope that you can keep it)_

_My dirty little secret_

Her eyes widened when she recognized the beat. It was Krizzie's favorite song. The one she was always humming silently when taking a science test or when she was trying to sleep.

_Who has to know_

_When we live such fragile lives_

_It's the best way we survive_

_I go around a time or two_

_Just to waste my time with you_

It was like Krizzie was speaking to her. She let out a dry laugh. They were teenagers. These things happen and even though they don't get along… who cares?

_Who needs to know? _Yuki chuckled. This song was getting into her.

_Tell me all that you've thrown away_

_Find out games you don't wanna play_

_You are the only one that needs to know_

_I'll keep you my dirty little secret_

_(Dirty little secret)_

_Don't tell anyone or you'll be just another regret_

_(Just another regret, hope that you can keep it)_

_My dirty little secret_

Yes, they fight, they shout at each other but they were still friends; friends that have gone through a lot to be what they were now. She knew Krizzie won't apologize if she thinks she was right… that girl was too stubborn… so it was up to her to make the first step. She took the phone and stared at it hard. She moved her finger to dial but it seems like it didn't want to either. _Why is it always ME who has to take the first step? Can't she do it at least once?_ Yuki's face fell. She doesn't want to apologize to Krizzie. She wanted it to be the other way around. She placed the phone back into the cradle and resumed eating.

_Who has to know_

_The way she feels inside (inside)_

_Those thoughts I can't deny (deny)_

_These sleeping dogs won't lie (won't lie)_

_And all I've tried to hide_

_It's eating me apart_

_Trace this life out_

_I'll keep you my dirty little secret_

_(Dirty little secret)_

_Don't tell anyone or you'll be just another regret_

_(Just another regret)_

_I'll keep you my dirty little secret_

_(Dirty little secret)_

_Don't tell anyone or you'll be just another regret_

_(Just another regret, hope that you can keep it)_

_My dirty little secret_

_Dirty little secret_

_Dirty little secret_

_Who has to know_

_who has to know_

She dropped her spoon on the bowl and placed it on the coffee table, burying her head on her hands. She looked back on the fight yesterday. Krizzie had told her not to make a big deal out of things, why had she been mad?

Yuki sighed, feeling guilty that she had, once again, let her emotions take over and lost a friend in the process. Krizzie had always been patient, taking every one of her outbursts as if it was a normal thing. If Krizzie had the initiative to befriend her even though she was way different from her, it was up to her to adapt as well. It shouldn't always be Krizzie who has to learn to adjust. She was just going to say sorry, how hard can it be?

"I need to apologize."

--

Krizzie Kurisaki glared at the jigsaw puzzle in front of her. She hadn't been able to complete it, since she threw the middle part out of the window when she couldn't put it together when she was six… but that was another story.

"I'm just like it…" she muttered to herself, her eyes ogling into the empty space smack right in the middle of the puzzle. "Broken and incomplete."

She sighed, stood up and went for the computer. She waited until it was finished loading before turning on the media player and plopping the headset on her head. She opened the hearts card game and began to fight with the computer while a song began to play in her ears.

_Every time we lie awake  
After every hit we take  
Every feeling that I get  
But I haven't missed you yet  
_

She smiled. She loved this song.

_Every roommate kept awake  
By every sigh and scream we make  
All the feelings that I get  
But I still don't miss you yet  
_

She looked at the screen while singing along with the music. The first round had ended quite quickly. She closed the scoreboard that told her she was in third place. _I'll get back on the second round. _She looked at the names of the players around her and smirked.

_Only when I stop to think about it  
_

She stopped in the middle of choosing a card to contemplate on the lyrics and let out a dry chuckle. It sounded too similar with her and Yuki's predicament. She looked at the cards dropped by her opponents: the six of diamonds, the king of diamonds and the ace of hearts. Smirking, she selected the queen of spades.

_I hate everything about you  
Why do I love you  
I hate everything about you  
Why do I love you_

Every time we lie awake  
After every hit we take  
Every feeling that I get  
But I haven't missed you yet  


She smirked when the scores came up once again and showed her that she already on the first place but the game hasn't ended yet.

_Only when I stop to think about it  
_

She was on first. Abiding by the rules, she picked out the two of clubs. She watched as the King of clubs and the queen of clubs appeared. Krizzie smiled sadly at the name of the last player. She had personalized the names. 'Yuki' picked out the ace of clubs. The cards went to her then she picked out the queen of diamonds.

_I hate everything about you  
Why do I love you  
I hate everything about you  
Why do I love you  
_

Krizzie selected her card with the biggest value with the same suit. She smiled and took out the jack of diamonds, smiling sadly when the next player dropped the queen of spades and the last one dropping the king of hearts. The cards all went to Yuki… Though it wasn't her real friend who was playing she shook her head thinking, _how utterly stupid._

_Only when I stop to think  
About you, I know  
Only when you stop to think  
About me, do you know  
_

_I hate everything about you  
Why do I love you  
You hate everything about me  
Why do you love me  
_

Thinking about it, why did she tolerate Yuki? From nature, she had always ditched what she didn't like. Yuki was talkative, a cheerleader, funny, preppy, cute, childish… some things she never really could stand when put together. Yet… why did she care for the girl? Heck, she even considered the Tamane as one of her best friends!

_I hate  
You hate  
I hate  
You love me_

I hate everything about you  
Why do I love you

Krizzie selected the last of her cards, the two of diamonds and the scoreboard appeared once again, telling her that the game was over and the player across from her has won. She broke into a small smile as she remembered what she had named that player: Destruction.

Blame her for selecting the queerest names possible but she had named the other one the otou-san, Krizzie had often lost to it but as time passed by, she had gotten quite good at the game and often beat it to a bloody pulp.

"Krizzie!" her father yelled from downstairs. Krizzie winced, turned off the computer and went to see what her father wanted.

--

Taro turned off the phone before returning to the dining table. He smiled sadly at the empty seat in front of him.

They had an exhibit at the museum at nine and his father went to ask if some of his paintings could be displayed. Taro wasn't sure if the museum would allow it as such short notice… but had wished his father good luck.

His mind replayed to the conversation he had with Izawa moments ago. His friend had sounded shaken; maybe his parents had given him a hard time. It made perfect sense.

Taro sighed. _So Genzou's mission: Kurisaki Secret Revealing, was going to be pursued._ To Taro, it sounded weird. It really did… but Genzou had never been that creative.

"I just hope it goes on well." Taro said to himself before emptying the contents of his plate and glass. He went to his room to take a bath.

--

"One scoop of chocolate ice cream please."

Izawa thanked the clerk as paid for his purchase before taking a seat beside the glass walls of the store. As he began to lick on the edges of the cone, he couldn't help but feel nervous. They're going to break into Krizzie's house… he wanted to keep her trust and breaking into her house as a complete no-no… he had tried to convince his parents not to allow him and was ecstatic when they agreed.

But all that had crumbled when Genzou had persuaded them to come, telling them that they had training. And Izawa had ended up getting scolded because of trying to skip a non-existing soccer practice.

He sighed and bit on the cone, loving the feeling of coldness around his mouth mixed with yummy sweetness. He looked out into the streets, wishing Taro would arrive before Genzou did. Maybe they could make a run for it and tell Genzou that their parents pulled them out in the last minute. Izawa would think about anything just to escape this predicament.

Unfortunately, Genzou was walking on the sidewalk when he scanned around. Izawa sighed, it just wasn't his lucky day and Genzou was the supposedly unlucky charm.

"Hey Genzou." he greeted the goalkeeper once he opened the door. Genzou smirked, bought a vanilla ice cream and sat down beside Izawa.

"Where's Taro?"

"Not here." Izawa replied, eating the last bits of ice cream. Genzou handed him the vanilla cone. Izawa took it and began eating. "Thanks."

"Did you call him?" Genzou asked, looking at the sidewalk as if expecting Taro just to appear out of nowhere and give them a toothy grin.

"Right after I hanged up on you." Izawa replied, licking off the melting edges of the ice cream. "He said he'll come. Let's wait a little bit more."

Genzou frowned. He had expected Taro to be the 'early' type but he guessed that being informed last does have its disadvantages. "Sure… as long as he doesn't take all day."

Genzou beamed when Taro went inside the store. The midfielder went and bought a chocolate sundae before sitting beside Izawa on the right side. "Hey guys! Sorry for the long wait." he greeted with his usual cheerful smile.

"Are you ready Misaki?" Genzou asked.

"Sure…" Taro replied hesitantly.

Genzou's eyes darted to and fro between the two of them and sighed. "You guys have doubts about coming with me… right?"

Taro and Izawa stopped in the middle of their small feasts and nodded, looking at their friend with same apologetic looks.

"I really can't do it Genzou…" Taro muttered, eating a spoonful of sundae and letting it melt inside his mouth. "I really am not one for trouble."

"Me neither." Izawa agreed, eating the last bit of his cone. Genzou sighed again.

"Please do this, guys…" he practically begged, putting on a pleading look.

Taro and Izawa frowned and exchanged dubious looks, but all the same, nodded.

"Okay…" they chorused.

"But if Krizzie and her father get mad, you're the one who's going to take full responsibility." Taro finalized.

"Deal." the keeper said with a smug smile.

--

Yuki looked at her outfit, thinking if Krizzie would like it or not.

She wore a pink tank top under a white cotton sweater. She put on her new jeans and wrapped a pink belt around her waist. For her footwear, she wore a plain white pair of socks and white Nike walking shoes. To top it off, she sprayed on some jasmine scent. She grabbed a couple of bangles on the dresser and slipped them on before wrapping a pink choker necklace around her slender neck.

She sighed. "Never mind what I wear. That girl has a bad taste, she wouldn't mind either way." But nonetheless, she arranged her hair and applied lip gloss on her lips.

"I'm ready." she told herself and set off.

--

Krizzie closed the door of her room behind her. She walked over to her table and took some alcohol and cotton. She soaked the cotton with alcohol and began to dab it on her wound, wincing slightly at the pain.

When she had cleaned of most of the blood, she stared at the long gash on her arm and frowned before starting to bandage it.

"Why does it always have to be like this?" she asked nobody in particular before hearing the doorbell.

"Krizzie! Someone's at the door!" her father called.

"Yeah! Wait a sec!" Krizzie called back, tying the white bandage and getting up to answer the door. She just hoped that whoever it was had an important reason.

--

Taro made a face. "Um…" he muttered beside Izawa, deep in thought.

Genzou looked back at his fellow teammates. "Okay… here we go." he told them, feeling a little bit nervous himself.

Izawa and Taro merely nodded, gaping at the house behind their teammate.

--

Yuki took another deep breath. "Okay, it's just Krizzie… there's nothing to be worried about." she comforted herself.

She straightened her clothes, still feeling the steady beat of her heart against her chest.

--

Krizzie growled when the hem of her shirt caught on the branch of the decoration her father had insisted they place beside the front door. She lifted it up and arranged it before opening the door.

What she saw left her mouth hanging open.

**A cliffy! So… who do you think showed up on her door? If you guessed right… GO YOU! The ninth chap will come sooner! PLEASE REVIEW! I beg you! **

**Oh yeah, anybody here who doesn't understand the hearts card game and want to understand, just tell me in your review or just mail me, kay? I'll be glad to explain the rules to you… (I'm obliged to do it anyway.)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Weird School, Same Weird Students**

**By: Krizzie**

**Summary:** School… when asked about it, most students say "Boring!" or "Yawn…" without any care at all. The hardworking ones say it's great and a great place to learn but a certain boy's view about it is different. For Genzou Wakabayashi, school is what you call… WEIRD.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Captain Tsubasa. It's as simple as that.

**AU** The happenings in this story do not match on the original storyline of the anime or manga. Obviously, since Genzou was a student in Nankatsu rather than in Shutetsu together with Shingo, Hajime, Teppei and Izawa. I hope you understand.

"Talking"

_Thoughts, flashbacks or Genzou's notebook entries _

SHOUTING OR EMPHASIZED WORDS

**(Small author notes)**

**Chapter 9**

The sun was high, lighting up the sky like every typical day. The birds were chirping, the wind was blowing and three boys came face to face with a pair of confused dark eyes.

Izawa blinked. He turned to Genzou, as if contemplating how to say it. Finally, he just went straight to the point. "Um… Krizzie doesn't live here…"

Genzou growled, glaring at Taro who just gave a sweet, teasing smile back.. "I fucking know that!" He hissed, looking again at those large, innocent blinking eyes.

Taro sighed. "I told you we had to turn right not left."

Genzou frowned. "Let's go there then." he muttered, trying really hard to contain his fury, before glaring at the kid that opened the door at them. Come to think about it, the little boy could've looked like Krizzie when she was younger… even if they don't have the same gender. He discarded the idea and retraced the path they had come.

Taro and Izawa followed him wordlessly, secretly snickering when the keeper wasn't looking.

--

Yuki laughed nervously. "Um… hi?"

The little kid in front of her blinked. Yuki offered an awkward smile. The kid blinked again. The cheerleader stood there, staring at the little brunette with her hair tied in pigtails adorned by pretty bows. She was wearing a light pink dress with light frills around the end that reached just below her bandaged knee. The kid was holding a strawberry ice cream.

Sometime along their staring contest, the little girl's dessert dropped. She looked at it, blinked, hiccupped then…

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"Wah…?" Yuki fell to the ground before standing up again, trying to hush up the little girl, cursing herself for stopping to look at the cute kid when she could've just walked past towards Krizzie's house without checking out a little girl's hair ornament!

--

But then... if both parties were stuck in a mishap… who had appeared in the Kurisaki household?

That's what you're about to find out.

--

Genzou stopped, causing the two behind him to bump on his back.

Izawa groaned. "Warn us next time you'd stop man… my poor nose…"

Genzou shot him a stupefied stare. He pointed a shaky finger over at the house. Before the two could see what he was pointing to, however, he pulled them towards some bushes.

They both raised an inquisitive brow at the shaking figure of the SGGK. Taro, being the more curious one, peered through the leaves and sighed, disappointed.

Genzou turned at the midfielder's bored expression. "Are they making out?"

Taro looked at him. "Genzou… you're overreacting."

Izawa growled and looked out.

--

Krizzie blinked. She had never, in a million years, expected her to be here.

"Tooshime-san?" she asked. Dark green eyes stared back at her.

"Kurisaki-kun!" she squealed, hugging Krizzie tight. The other girl winced.

--

Yuki stopped short at the bend. "Fuuko? What the hell is she doing in Krizzie's house?"

The girl walked over. She had bought the kid a new ice cream and escaped. Boy was Yuki glad that was over. But now, a new being was stopping her from apologizing. Was this a sign that she should give up and forget their friendship?

Frowning, the Tamane left the scene.

--

Krizzie pried away from the embrace and looked at Fuuko through the eyes. "Short and to the point, what are you doing here?" she asked, glancing at her classmate's back, as if expecting someone to show up and tell the whole world that the young Kurisaki girl was having an affair with her crazy classmate.

Fuuko grinned and handed her a package. "I'm volunteering to raise a fund for the cooking club and offered to sell their baked cookies all over town. Would you please buy some?" the redhead asked.

"No." she said and closed the door in Fuuko's face.

Fuuko pouted, blinked at the box. "Aww… and she was the sixty-first person I sold to."

--

Izawa growled when he saw Fuuko staring at her box like an idiot. Krizzie was nowhere to be found. "Genzou, I don't think Krizzie would go smooching with that Tooshime. Jeez, Fuuko can't even tie her shoelace on her own! Much less go making out with a girl right in the open!"

"It could happen." was the keeper's proud reply before standing up and dusting himself. With a snort, Izawa did the same. Taro smiled nervously.

"So… is the mission still on?"

--

"I can't believe her!" Yuki mixed the batter with all her strength. Looking at it, but not exactly seeing it. Her mind was somewhere else. She threw the wooden spoon on the sink and kicked the cupboard, destroying the wood and letting all the flour, soup and canned goods fall down.

The young teenager could care less.

"Here I am trying to make up with her and there she was choosing another girl over me! What a sleazy lowlife!" she hissed. She looked at the mess she made and groaned. "What the hell am I doing?"

She buried her head in her arms. Yuki Tamane was confused, her sadness, anger and self-pity mixing with the feeling of betrayal. She looked up, a new determined look in her eyes. "If she could play the ignore game, so can I!" she declared.

She went up her room, cleaned herself up from the flour and eggs before choosing an spaghetti-sleeved black top with floral designs and a pair of white pants. She grabbed her black purse, applied some powder on her face, lip gloss and dark eye shadow to accent her cat-like eyes. Smirking, she left the house and went out.

--

Genzou looked at Taro and shook his head. "I'll admit I'm shaken up. Let's postpone it to after the school dance. Speaking of which, do you guys have partners already?"

Taro blushed, looking nervously to the side. "Um…n-not yet." he stammered.

Genzou blinked. "So… you will have one soon?"

Taro gulped, grinned and laughed. "Um… probably." he replied before running full speed away from his friends.

"Someone asked him." Izawa deduced. "And if I'd have to take a guess, I'd say it was Tamane."

Genzou looked at his teammate with an odd gleam in his eyes. Izawa thought it was something between mischief, disbelief and… jealousy? The forward wasn't really sure. "You think so?" Genzou asked, looking away. Izawa tried to see his eyes again but Genzou kept them well-hidden under the shadow of his cap; bringing it even lower when Izawa tried to look.

"Yeah…" Izawa replied after a hesitant pause.

Genzou forced a smile, waved at Izawa and walked off.

Genzou felt Izawa's gaze on him. He managed a weak smile before breaking out towards his mansion, feeling a light pain tugging at his chest. He ran to his room, ignoring all the workers sending him worried glances. Once there, he locked the door, ran towards the window, leaned over the railing, clutched his chest and let the tears flow, freely.

"I'm going to take a break… for a while…" he choked out, barely managing to get the words right through the burning sensation in his chest. He clutched it tighter.

And staring at the beauty out the window didn't help him. He watched with bathed breath as the girl that he has been watching closely for the past days walked past his home. Her hair and black top billowing with the wind as it blew past her. And the keeper just couldn't tear his gaze away until she had disappeared from his line of sight.

**_December 15, 2005 Thursday_**

_Been a long while since I wrote… almost a month. Sorry, I lost track of the days. It's just that… the news that Mamoru had told me last time…kinda…well shocked me to be honest. Anyway, the dance is tomorrow. Tsubasa is going with Sanae. Ishizaki asked Kumi, Manabu, pinkie if you have forgotten, asked Teppei and Hajime, unbelievingly, asked out Terry, you know, that weird girl that dresses up like a witch. As for Terry's twin, Jerry, he asked our math teacher, not really caring that they're the same gender and had about twenty years in between them. Just yesterday, Shingo asked Bettina out and of course, she said yes. It's not like anyone would ask her anyway. Same with me, all my fangirls thought I was going with that darn Kurisaki, who still doesn't have a date, I believe, so every one of them got their own date. Fuuko asked me the day before yesterday and I said yes just to shut her up. Taro finally said yes to Yuki…_

_A lot of things had happened. Yuki wasn't bothering me anymore and she's giving almost everyone the cold shoulder. Except the soccer team (excluding me), Sanae and Kumi. I just don't get her. She's even snubbing her supposedly best friend! And Kurisaki doesn't seem to notice it either. She just goes on with her business, and she's been a lot quieter. Although, being the clumsy girl that she was, she always has a new wound to show everybody almost every week._

_Everyone's talking about the dance. Actually, I'm staring at my suit now. It's a common tuxedo. Okay, I just hope no one reads this but… I don't really want to go to the dance. I told Taro during practice one time that I've got this girl in mind and although I can't believe it myself, that girl is actually Yuki. And I practically died when Mamoru told me that she asked Taro out. Why can't she just ask me?_

Genzou placed his notebook on the table, his eyes looking at the dark night sky. He didn't bother pick it up when it missed the table and fell on the cold, hard floor. With a frustrated cry, he grabbed the vase from the table and threw it against the opposite wall, watching as it broke into tiny pieces with the water bursting out from every crack.

He released a dry laugh and collapsed on the ground. One hand hugging his right leg while the other one lay outstretch on the floor. He leaned his head on the wall and once again, the tears fell. He didn't bother to stop them, he just let them flow. For once, he wanted to let go. For once, he wanted to be free of his goddamn emotions.

--

Krizzie blinked, staring at the drop of water that fell on her notebook. She watched as the ink spread out on the paper. She frowned and looked up, but there wasn't a single thing wrong with their plumbing. She touched her cheeks and smiled weakly.

"When am I going to get over this?" she muttered to herself before she dismissed doing her homework and just laid down on her dark blue bed. She stared at the ceiling. The walls were pure black, with a single blue line running over it just above the floor. Her things were almost all blue and black but for her, the colors were lively. They speak of excitement, just like a thunderstorm. She turned towards the window just in time to see a flash of lighting. How nice of the weather to go on with her mood.

She sat up and went slowly towards her closet, staring at the mirror on the dresser door that contained the girl she knew as her. Krizzie had already decided not to go to the party. Well, she has decided since she has entered the school. No more parties for her. Lately, Yuki had been ignoring her. And being as stubborn as she was, she didn't give it a single thought. She stared at her bandaged arm and winced when she saw the dried blood covering it. She would have to clean it later.

She opened her closet to reveal her baggy outfits and overworn jeans. Her eyes narrowed. "Plus, I don't have a freakin' gown to wear." she muttered, closing the closet door. "And even if I did, humanity would cease to exist before I slip it on me."

--

Taro leaned over Izawa's shoulder and raised an eyebrow at the blank paper. He gave his teammate a scrutinizing look. He had been sitting there, on Taro's chair in Taro's house for thirty minutes ever since Taro gave him his seatwork, but still, there was not a single answer.

"You're supposed to answer the questions." he stated matter-of-factly, as if the frustrated forward didn't know that already.

Izawa threw him a death glare, doing the same thing to his paper when he realized Taro wasn't going to crack. "I bloody know that." Izawa muttered, using his pen to scratch his head. "But these questions are INSANE!"

"I just don't know how HOW to do it." Izawa added, scratching his head more furiously.

Taro sighed and closed Izawa's notebook himself. Izawa looked up to him questioningly. One minute he was pressuring him to answer the out-of-this-world questions and now he's closing the damn notebook right in front of his face. What was wrong with him? Taro smiled, grabbed a chair and plopped it beside Izawa. Without averting his gaze, he straddled the wooden seat, resting his hands on the backrest and placing his head on top of his arms. The graceful smile never left his face. "We've gone over this and you know it… you're just distracted. Wanna talk?"

"No." Izawa replied, after finally realizing that Taro stopped their tutoring because he noticed his head was in the clouds. "I'm going… let's just… l-let's just continue this after the dance." he stammered.

"Sure…whatever you say." Taro said while smiling. Izawa fought down a blush.

He forced a grin at his friend and once-crush. "Besides, you still have to dress pretty for your girlfriend." he said, almost using all of his courage to say it out loud.

He didn't give Taro the chance to reply before he dashed out the door, not really caring that the storm was already starting. Taro flushed, grabbed his book and decided to get his suit ready. Izawa was right. He wanted to look his best, after all.

--

Yuki looked at the phone and pressed one number… then another… and another… but decided to stop and hang up again. She frowned. She had been trying to call Krizzie over the past thirty minutes but as she was pressing the last number, she always hangs up. "Maybe later." she muttered before looking at herself in the mirror.

She was wearing a long-sleeved yellow shirt and a blue jumper paired with red sneakers. She did one last scan of herself before sighing. She took a look at her room and thought about canceling the hang-out and just sleep early. She sighed, shook her head then went out to meet Sanae, taking an umbrella with her.

--

"Young master…" a maid called cautiously, knocking on Genzou's door.

Genzou turned his head towards the door. "What?" he hissed, aware of the flinch the servant made.

"Dinner's ready."

He sighed. "Fine. I'll be right there."

--

"Pink… or white?" Yuki asked, showing Sanae two gowns she had randomly picked out.

Sanae looked at the chiffon dresses and shook her head. "Neither… that design doesn't fit you." The manager shuffled through a pile of gowns on the other side of the store and brought out a nice violet tube gown that has a flowing lavender skirt that has scattered beads around it. "This might work."

Yuki looked at it. "Nah… I need something more stunning to wipe Taro-kun off his feet." she said, grinning.

"Whatever you say." Sanae said with a teasing look before putting the gown back. "After all, you're the one going to wear it… not me."

Yuki paused from her shuffling and pulled a red gown out. She showed it to Sanae. "Try this one Sanae-chan!" she squealed, eyes shining. "If it fits you, you HAVE to wear it to the dance!"

For a while, Sanae was horrified, but she didn't have time to think it over when she was pushed into the changing room, and before the girl knew it, they were walking out the store, paper bags at hand.

--

_**December 16, 2005 Friday**_

_The party has officially started. Good thing I came early and got a table at the corner, where I was isolated from everyone. I completely forgot that Fuuko was my date, but it didn't matter. I'll get away from her one way or another. The other boys are here too. But there are a few girls. Fuuko has arrived with a jacket and how'd I wish she just kept it on. Instead, she took it off in what she believed was a sexy way when she spotted me. She was wearing a green dress, with peacock feathers as a fancy collar. Man, they must've itched like hell. And green sandals that were at least a feet high. Man, how does she manage to walk on those things? The only thing that's making this stupid party bearable is their wine. I've got to admit, it's pretty good._

Genzou sighed as Fuuko continued to yap on and on about the composition of the expensive wine he was currently sipping. He looked at her green dress and groaned. Red hair then green dress? It's okay but that design was just too… ancient! Plus, too weird.

"Are you even listening?"

"No." Genzou said honestly. He peered over at Izawa, who was on the buffet line. He excused himself from his date and scooted over. "Where's your date?" he asked Izawa once he was sure Izawa couldn't pretend he couldn't hear him.

Izawa shrugged before dumping some sauce on his plate and sitting at a lone table covered with a white cloth.

"You don't have one?" Genzou asked.

Izawa shrugged again and began eating. Genzou sighed, giving up before he went in line on the buffet himself.

There, he found Taro sulking in a corner. He abandoned his plate and went over. "She didn't show up." Taro muttered once Genzou was close enough.

"Yuki?" Genzou guessed, sitting down. The keeper noted with amusement that Fuuko had disappeared from their table. He kept his voice low.

"Who else?" Taro asked sarcastically. He sighed and rested his head on his hands. Looking miserable yet cute in a sulking way. "She was the one who asked me!"

Genzou patted the midfielder's back; even though it was tearing him up inside. He had accepted it though, Yuki could never be his. "She'll show up. You know girls… they just want to keep you waiting."

"They do?"

"Believe me, they fucking do."

_And of course, I was so bloody right. An hour or so after, Yuki arrived, with a very red Sanae in tow. The tomato mentioned was wearing an overlarge raincoat, so I figured she must've gotten Yuki to choose her gown. But I think it would've been okay, considering Yuki looked sexy as hell! And I truly mean it! Heck, she looked beautiful in that purple dress! It was simple, tight-fitting and had thin straps to hold it. It was low enough to show little of her cleavage but not much farther to make it look revealing, just a tease. It hugged her sexy curves just right and man, I think I'd have to be drooling!_

_Which… thankfully, I wasn't. I smirked and looked at Taro, who was staring at his date with his jaw dropped and his eyes twitching. Poor Misaki… Izawa was too busy to notice it though, too bad, I would've wanted to see his face when he sees his crush checking out a hot chick. Izawa was still eating at his corner, which was really weird, but I guess weird is normal in this school anyway.. I turned back to them just in time to see Sanae getting ripped out of the ridiculous jacket (courtesy by none other than the intimidating Tamane) and Tsubasa fainting with a bloody nosebleed. Jeez, these girls sure know how to fucking dress up. Sanae wore a red gown that had plunging neck line. It was tight-fitting as well but it had no design, plain and sexy. Wow._

Genzou blinked, once, twice to clear his mind from all the thoughts. Since when did he know how to describe women's clothes? Inwardly cursing the goddamn hormones, he made his way to the restroom for some…er… peace of mind.

--

Taro blinked, touching his chin to make sure he wasn't drooling.

The stunned soccer player couldn't believe his eyes. Sure, he had expected her to show up beautiful and all but this was way beyond what he had imagined. She was an angel!

"An angel given to me by God Himself." he whispered.

Hearing this, Yuki blushed and looked away. In an instant, Taro regained his confidence and offered his hand. As if on cue, a slow ballad began to play. He smiled. "May I have this dance?"

--

Poke.

Poke.

Poke.

Poke.

_I definitely did NOT come here to poke someone awake. _Sanae thought to herself, pouting angrily while continuing to prod Tsubasa's left shoulder with her index finger. She frowned when he didn't respond. Crouching down lower to have a more comfortable position in the red dress, she continued her soft assault on him.

Grinning when she heard a moan, Sanae began to poke Tsubasa more forcefully. "Jeez, wake up you big dummy!" she muttered. Tsubasa opened one eye and stared at her.

"You came…" he groaned as his vision began to focus.

Sanae rolled her eyes. "Of course I came!"

Unexpected, Tsubasa sat up and enveloped her in a strong embrace, which almost caused both of them to tumble back on the floor. "I thought you ditched me." he whispered in her ear, making the Nakazawa shiver slightly.

"L-Let's just dance, okay, Tsubasa-kun?" she asked, not noticing Tsubasa wiping away the blood from his nose.

--

Genzou sighed in pure bliss when the cool liquid made contact with his warm skin. Though he didn't notice it, a faint blush had already appeared on his pale cheeks. "Jeez… and they say I'm cold."

Genzou stopped talking to himself when he heard a rustling outside through the bathroom window. Bored out of his wits, he decided to investigate. For a while, he thought about his date, but dismissed the idea two seconds later. Fuuko could take care of herself. She wasn't a little girl any longer.

Wiping the water from his face, Genzou strode out. Fuuko was nowhere in sight and Genzou felt slightly worried but the thought disappeared once he heard soft footsteps outside, barely audible from the music and loud chatters.

He went out and savored the cool breeze. The moon was full tonight and perfect for the romantic atmosphere the school was aiming for… but Genzou was in no mood for romance. He turned again to look at the dancing couples. Yuki seemed happy swaying there in Taro's arms though Genzou felt like pushing the midfielder away and taking the manager for his own.

But then again… the thought itself was foolish. Yuki's feelings for him had gone. If he had confessed to her earlier, she would've thrown herself at him, but as for now, her heart was on the hands of the pretty boy Misaki. Still… that didn't stop him from fantasizing her dancing with him.

"Jeez… I think I drank too much wine." Genzou muttered to himself. The noise was gone, and he assumed that must only been the wind… but he could've sworn it was someone… but in this dark, he couldn't tell for sure. He raised is hand and massaged his left temple. It was throbbing but Genzou was convinced he wouldn't let it be much trouble to him.

He blinked and turned around when the music and noise stopped. He turned around to see Tsubasa standing on the stage, microphone in hand. He loosened his collar and began to sing his song to Sanae.

Genzou smirked before moving farther away from the civilization and crossing his arms. It would be the perfect time for a smoke, but Genzou was against smoking so it really was out of the options. Instead, the keeper just leaned on a tree, crossed his arms and enjoyed the cool breeze and Tsubasa's none-too-shabby voice.

He turned his head when he heard the sound of someone panting, taking slow, short steps. The footsteps were soft, so Genzou assumed the person was wearing sneakers. Then he heard the sound of a bicycle being straddled, then being ridden. He sighed and let down his guard. It was probably just some kid going home from soccer practice.

"I'm being paranoid." the Wakabayashi said to himself. He sat down on the grass and closed his eyes. Sleep overtook him a minute later.

--

Izawa clapped his hands in a polite manner as Tsubasa bowed in front. Once Tsubasa had smiled his way then looked away, he quickly dropped his hands.

He took his glass of juice and took a sip before letting out a sigh. He slumped on his chair and stared at the dance floor, where a lot of couples were dancing, talking and some even demonstrating their love in another way. For once, Izawa did not blush. His gaze swept past them casually before he sighed again. _I'm so BORED!_ He screamed in his mind.

--

Yuki gasped when the Misaki suddenly twirled her and let her fall to the right, catching her by the crook of his arm.

"Wow… you sure do know your ballroom dancing…" Yuki said, smiling.

Taro smiled back and lifted her up. He took her hands and placed them around his neck before wrapping his own arms around her small waist.

Yuki blushed, but nevertheless, joined Taro in swaying in the slow beat, closing her eyes to enjoy the moment.

--

Genzou blinked. The sound of the bike earlier was long gone, and he discovered it was the mailman delivering some last-minute letters. He waved the old man goodbye before he rode off.

But still… the footsteps were still there. Careful, quiet as if it doesn't want to be discovered. Genzou tensed, closed his eyes and felt for more movement. He could hear the faint, uneven, rasp breathing and the uneven rhythm of the footsteps… who was it?

The sound was too far away to tell exactly where but Genzou assumed it was somewhere from the west of the school gates. He waited with bated breath as the sound became closer. Silently. he backed away towards the shadow. Whoever that is, he didn't want him to know that he was there.

One heavy step after another. The person must be dead tired.

"Genzou! What are you doing there man?" Teppei asked from the inside of the building, waving his arms, beckoning the keeper to come closer. Genzou eyed him for a moment before noticing the footsteps had stopped. _Damn… Kisugi ruined it. _He nodded a silent affirmative, apparently satisfying Teppei since he went back inside.

Genzou growled and strained to listen but the sounds had gone. He cursed inwardly before following Teppei inside.

--

Izawa drowned his sorrows on the club sandwich before drinking half oh his mango shake. He looked around and can't help noticing he was the only one without a date, and one of the few who were drowning themselves with food. When Krizzie had told him she don't go to dances, he had been fine with it, but now, actually enduring the event without someone to share it with, he's even kinda envious of Genzou, who was now on Fuuko's list of missing persons. The redhead was currently asking around for her date. At least the guy got himself a date, even if it was Fuuko. He recalled the panic-stricken look on Genzou's face when he voiced out that Yuki asked Taro to the dance, and if didn't know better, Genzou was actually jealous.

"Sometimes I can't understand him." Izawa muttered to himself. "He goes away when the girl's chasing her then gets all depressed when she finds someone else. Weird…"

"Who?"

Izawa turned abruptly before forcing what he hoped was a casual smile. Genzou cocked an eyebrow at him before grabbing an empty seat and propping himself down on it. "Being alone has its negative effects Mamoru… you're starting to talk to yourself."

Izawa nodded mutely, quite relieved that he hadn't made contact with Genzou's fists. He settled himself with staring at the food.

Genzou looked at Izawa intently, finding it hard to process in his mind that he actually knew what he was feeling. Genzou had always thought of himself as a stoic person, he didn't know Izawa could read him like an open book. He blinked before resting his head on his clasped hands. "Mamoru… am I really that obvious?"

Izawa stared at him for a while, maybe thinking about a good response. Genzou chuckled.

"Don't worry, I won't get mad."

Izawa nodded somewhat reluctantly. He picked up his fork and began scratching it softly with his plate. "Yeah… the others are just to busy to notice… I guess. And I'm your best friend… right?" he replied finally, stealing occasional glances at Genzou's face. He was surprised when the keeper sighed and slumped even more on his seat.

"Genzou…" Izawa quipped, swallowing nervously. "You're not thinking about spreading what you know about me… are you?"

Genzou tried to remember what Izawa was talking about and broke into a grin when his mind had searched it through. "I could…"

Izawa's eyes widened, his pale hands clutching the table napkin.

"But I won't." Genzou sighed. "You're a good friend Mamoru, and right, my best friend. I wouldn't think of placing you on my bad side."

"Thanks… I guess."

Genzou smiled.

--

"Let's take a break, shall we?"

Tsubasa nodded as he hesitantly removed his hands from around Sanae'e waist. They scooted over towards the buffet table to get their food. "Sanae-chan?"

"Hmm?" Sanae asked as she took some rice from the catering.

"Thanks…" Tsubasa said with a hint of red in his cheeks. "For coming to the dance with me… I appreciate it."

Sanabe blushed, and tried to focus her attention in getting her food. "Um… thanks for asking me… Tsubasa-kun."

Tsubasa stared at her slightly colored cheeks and felt his gaze drop. He immediately colored and began to get his own food as well.

--

Yuki smiled before nudging Taro towards the couple by the table. "They look so cute." she squealed.

"Yes." Taro said with a soft smile. "But not as cute as you are."

"…"

Taro chuckled, looking at Yuki's slightly embarrassed yet flattered face. In impulse, he leaned over and kissed her nose. She blushed some more if possible and looked at him in confusion.

"Thanks for dressing up so much… is that for me?" Taro asked boldly. Yuki giggled before leaning her head at his shoulder.

"Yes…" she said, closing her eyes to enjoy the moment.

"KURISAKI DID WHAT?"

Yuki's head shot up at the mention of the name. Everyone stopped dancing and stared at the angry Wakabayashi at the corner of the dark room.

"Genzou!" Izawa hissed, looking nervously at their unwanted spectators. "Pipe down!"

"Mind your own fucking business!" Genzou shouted at the onlookers before sitting back down on his chair while looking at Izawa.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Genzou asked. "That girl's got some nerve rejecting you."

"She had the right to reject me. For Pete's sake Genzou, I'm _asking _her to come with me to the dance!" Izawa rolled his eyes. "Besides, I was MAD at you remember? You threatened to spill my little secret!"

"Oh! Um… oh…"A look of realization dawned on the keeper. Izawa narrowed his eyes at Genzou. "Uh… I forgot?" was the goalie's oh-so-smart reply.

Izawa sighed. "Well, that's the main reason I have no date."

Genzou grabbed Izawa's glass, ignoring the glare he received and drank from the straw. Izawa dropped the thought of snatching it back. "But she let you down weeks before the dance, why didn't you find another girl?" Genzou asked. "And didn't a single girl ask you out?"

Izawa shook his head. "I'm only a minor player at the soccer team, I'm not really the top achiever in class, I'm way behind lots of boys on the looks department and I'm not exactly one with great charisma either. Why would girls want to ask me? Besides, I used up most of my courage to ask Krizzie. I was struggling not to break down and plead in front of her damn it!"

"Calm down Mamoru. Kurisaki's just a girl, this is just a dance. It's not like she rejected your proposal of marriage." Genzou said before draining the glass clean.

"Wow… that lifted my spirits very much thanks you." Izawa said sarcastically. He glared at his on and off friend before standing up to get himself another Genzou-spit clean drink.

--

Yuki slowly dropped her head once more on Taro's shoulder as she instinctively tightened her hold around him. Krizzie… it's been a while since she last talked to her. She had practically forgotten her friend had ever existed ever since she had seen Taro earlier!

"Is something the matter?" Taro asked her when he felt her quick, hot breath against his neck.

"N-Nothing…" Yuki lied. "Maybe I…we could do with some drinks." she lifted her head up and smiled at him. She noticed Izawa returning to their table carrying a glass in both hands.

"I'll get you some." Taro offered before taking her to a table and pulling back a chair for her. Yuki smiled at the sweet gesture. It was just like Misaki to do something like that. "Wait for me here."

"Thanks Taro-kun."

As soon as Taro was away, she looked over at Genzou and Izawa, who were quite close to the table where she was, and strained her ears to listen to the conversation. Hopefully, he would have better luck than before and actually hear what they were talking about.

--

Izawa dumped Genzou's glass in front of him and slumped down on his own seat. "Genzou, I don't know whether you're pretending or if you're actually that stupid."

Genzou blinked, placed his glass down after a short sip and managed a dry chuckle. "I'm asking myself the same question Mamoru."

Izawa rolled his eyes. "Then you've probably lost it already." He looked surprised when Genzou's face suddenly turned serious. He stood up, sat in the chair right next to Izawa and took a while before leaning in and whispering, his voice tickling Izawa's sensitive skin. "I haven't lost it one bit Mamoru…" his voice was lingering and Izawa couldn't help but shudder. "I'm just someone whose curiosity had yet to be satisfied." Genzou smirked and pulled back. His smirk grew wider at the priceless sight of Izawa's confused face. "What do you say we go outside for some fresh air?"

Still quite puzzled, Izawa let the keeper pull him outside.

--

Yuki frowned. Genzou had made it impossible for her to hear anything. And she knew right there and then that he knew she was eavesdropping. She was glad when Taro returned and took her attention away from her out-of-reach information.

"Are you alright?" Taro asked once he sat down and gave her a drink. "You seem spaced out…"

"Maybe a little…" Yuki confessed. She smiled apologetically at Taro but he merely smiled back, telling her without words that it was quite alright. Yuki blushed. Taro was, without a doubt, definitely the best guy around.

--

Genzou inhaled the night air. It was the best. "Mamoru…"

"Yeah?" the forward asked, pausing from his walk towards the gates.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?"

Izawa smiled sheepishly and patted his stomach. "Well, I'm full… there's no more point in staying and waiting for the awarding ceremonies. There's no way in hell I would even be nominated the King of the Night if I don't have a date."

Genzou smiled knowingly. "Hey, what if I want you to stay?"

Izawa frowned. He was irritated. "Who are you? My goddamn mother? Jeez Genzou, Just because you want to doesn't mean it had to be done. You're not the fucking King of the world for me to obey you man."

"Why are you so worked up?" Genzou asked calmly, taking slow strides towards him.

Izawa shrugged. "How should I know? I'm not a freaking psychiatrist! And you should probably tell me that. You just know everything, don't you Wakabayashi-_sama_?"

Genzou frowned. He didn't mean the conversation to go on this way. All he wanted was a civilized talk and Izawa just had to ruin it for him. He placed a hand above Izawa's right shoulder and waited until his friend relaxed before speaking. "Izawa, calm down."

Izawa took many deep breaths. Genzou invited him to sit down on top of the school's walls. "I'm all ears if you want to talk…" Genzou offered, feeling slightly disappointed when Izawa made no effort to start another conversation. "Okay… maybe we could talk about something else then."

"How about the upcoming championships?" Izawa offered halfheartedly. Genzou frowned at his lifeless attitude and punched him straight on the jaw just to snap him out of it.

"You're acting like a complete idiot." he growled to his teammate before focusing his attention on the silent road.

Izawa smiled a blank smile before instinctively placing his hand on his bruised face. "You don't need to remind me Genzou… I already know. First my parents… then you…"

"Your parents?" Genzou asked incredulously. He finally realized the important thing Izawa was talking about on the phone almost a month ago. "You mean… you told them about Kurisaki saying no?"

"Obviously." Izawa answered before removing his hand. Genzou winced upon seeing the swollen patch on the left of Izawa's chin.

"Sorry." he muttered.

"Whatever…"

Silence surrounded the two and for a moment, Genzou thought something was weird. He looked behind him and discovered what it was. The music had stopped, so had the conversations and the happy laughter. "I wonder what's happening…" he thought out loud. He looked at Izawa, who nodded, and both of them went inside.

--

"Eh?"

Genzou and Izawa's jaws dropped to the floor upon realizing what had happened. Jerry and his date, their math teacher were doing some monkey steps right in the middle of the dance floors, and to their extreme shock, Terry and Shingo were even taking pictures.

"Um… Mamoru… you think I can join you in going home?" Genzou asked.

Izawa swallowed and nodded. "S-Sure you can Genzou. What are friends for…right?"

Genzou took cautious steps back outside. "I don't know and I don't care. I just want to get out of here… fast!" he hissed before speeding away, Izawa right behind him.

--

Taro blinked, looking at the strange scene and let out a chuckle. Yuki giggled madly beside him.

Then the spotlight began to shine towards the stage. All insanities stopped and all eyes focused on their principal posed at the stage, standing high and proud with an envelope at hand.

"Ladies and gentlemen and everyone in between… ahem… we are now awarding the royalties of the night!"

The lights began to dance, the music began to rise and everyone's heart joined in the nervous beat.

Yuki clasped her hands together. Taro watched the scene with a brilliant smile on his face, which vanished when the principal began to open the white envelope. He took out a single pice of paper and read it with his eyes first, he then returned his attention to everyone, a small smile on his face.

"And the King of the Night is none other than our very own…" he trailed off, finding amusement in the dismayed faces of his students.

"Oh just say my and Genzou's name!" Fuuko screeched from their tables. Hoping that when the principal announced their names, Genzou would finally appear.

--

Izawa tucked a loose strand of hair behind his ear and smiled weakly. "That was some party eh… let's ask them tomorrow who the monarchial family is… okay Genzou?"

Genzou nodded before taking his tie off and loosening his collar and removing his suit, leaving him wearing a white polo shirt. "These things are so annoying." he opened a nearby garbage bin and threw them in.

Izawa watched this with a troubled look. "That is a waste of good money Genzou…"

Genzou shrugged and they went their way. Izawa followed wordlessly, still regretting the loss of that money he could have if he sold that coat.

When he looked up front again, it shocked him to no end to see Genzou stiff, his hand pointing to something within the shadows. "M-Mamoru…" he stammered, glancing at his only companion. Look…th-there!"

--

"King Shingo Takasugi and Queen Terry Hisashime!" he bellowed. Everyone stared bewildered, all of them had thought Tsubasa and Sanae would win for sure, not the witch and her date, even though he is a soccer player!

"Prince Ryou Ishizaki and Princess Kumi Sugimoto!" he announced. Everyone, now over their previous shock, clapped and hooted as both couples went up the stage and got their crowns from last year's winners.

Yuki scowled in her seat and looked at Taro with her what-the-hell expression. Taro chuckled and placed a tender hand on her face. "Don't worry, for me, you're the most beautiful girl tonight."

Yuki blushed, even more so when Taro leaned in closer. Yuki couldn't resist the urge to close her eyes. And she sighed in pure bliss when his warm lips covered her own.

She opened her eyes when the midfielder broke the kiss and smiled at her sweetly. Yuki blushed. "I had fun tonight." Taro told her, and truly, he did.

**So… how was it? This story is near its ending and so far… waah! I'm not getting reviews any longer. But oh well… sigh… please, please review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Weird School, Same Weird Students**

**By: Krizzie**

**Summary:** School… when asked about it, most students say "Boring!" or "Yawn…" without any care at all. The hardworking ones say it's great and a great place to learn but a certain boy's view about it is different. For Genzou Wakabayashi, school is what you call… WEIRD.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Captain Tsubasa. It's as simple as that.

**AU** The happenings in this story do not match on the original storyline of the anime or manga. Obviously, since Genzou was a student in Nankatsu rather than in Shutetsu together with Shingo, Hajime, Teppei and Izawa. I hope you understand.

"Talking"

_Thoughts, flashbacks or Genzou's notebook entries _

SHOUTING OR EMPHASIZED WORDS

**(Small author notes)**

**Chapter 10**

Mamoru Izawa had never thought he would live to see such a scene. Instead, here he was now, staring at Genzou's shaken form as a black shadow began to walk towards them.

Genzou stopped shaking and began to close his eyes. "Wait a minute…" he muttered, concentrating. For a moment, Izawa considered that the moment would be a good opportunity for a good scare but thought the better of it. This was Genzou Wakabayashi they were talking about and Genzou plus startled is equals to anger and anger is equal to death on Izawa's part so see, it was understandably out of the options.

Izawa turned to the goalkeeper and found him sitting upright on the concrete with a concentrated face. Izawa blinked when the dark eyes began to flash and look towards the shadow, which had now, surprisingly, had stopped edging towards them. Instead, it moved slowly away from them.

Izawa, out of curiosity, also began to close his eyes. The sounds of the hushed wind, his deep breaths, the sound of his and Genzou's hearts beating across their chest and rustle of leaves began to fill his ears. The cool breeze began to circle him, as if coaxing him to listen more deeply. Then Izawa heard the songs of the birds, the barks of the dogs among the neighborhood but then a foreign yet familiar sound of another person's breathing. The crunching of dry leaves under Genzou's feet as he stood up and the sound of the new person stepping back.

Izawa slowly began to open his eyes, just as the clouds moved aside to let the moon shine at them.

For a moment or two, nobody moved, each of the three even holding their breaths at the surprise of the moment.

"K-Krizzie?"

At the sound of her name, the young girl began to take three more steps back but she couldn't go any further. It was as if their leering gazes held her still. She looked away and just hoped that the damn light would just go away so she could have an advantage. She was accustomed to darkness, they were not. She was sure to have an edge if she began to run when the clouds sheath the moon.

But alas, fate didn't want to follow her opinion. But still, the Kurisaki was not one to give up, even in inevitable situations. She coughed, ignoring the metallic taste that had formulated in her mouth she began run, not caring that two soccer players could easily outrun her. She silently wished they wouldn't follow her. She didn't want their pity. She didn't want to talk. No more explanations… no more talking, no more of the useless shit. Krizzie closed her eyes and covered her ears. She had it. She's on the edge. Why didn't anybody listen to her for once? All she wanted was to be alone.

But as I said before, fate was not with her that night. And the two followed her. Genzou blocked her path while Izawa pulled lightly on her arm. Nevertheless, it sent jolting pain across her body. The black-haired girl collapsed on the ground.

"Krizzie?" Izawa repeated, less hesitant this time. He released his grip on her arm before kneeling beside her, looking at the wounds that inflicted the young's girl's hand. "W-What happened?"

Much to the boys' surprise, Krizzie slapped Izawa's hand away and began to stand, wobbly but she managed. She was breathing hard but still managed to glare at both of them, but what surprised them the most were the salty tears trickling down her bruised face. It was the first time they had seen the Kurisaki cry, and the scene was enough to paralyze them for a moment. "Just leave me alone, goddamn it!" she yelled, and taking the chance she stood up and walked away since running was out of her capabilities at the moment, she tripped halfway and fell on her knees. Izawa wanted to help her but Genzou stopped him with a mere gaze.

"Let her be." the goalkeeper said, all the while looking at the Kurisaki. "We'll wait."

As if on cue, Krizzie passed out cold on the ground. That's when both boys went to her. With Genzou's assistance, Izawa carried Krizzie on his back, then they went to Genzou's home which was nearby.

--

Breaking glass echoed along the quickly emptying room. Yuki stared dumbfounded at her glass and shivered. Taro quickly placed an arm around her shoulder. "What's the matter?" he asked, getting more worried when Yuki suddenly broke into sobs.

"I…I d-don't know!" Yuki cried, clutching the fabric of his shirt. He hugged her tighter and began to whisper comforting words on her ear.

Yuki's cries hushed down but a haunting pain in her told her that something was wrong.

--

Carefully, the boys placed Krizzie's broken body on the guest bed. Genzou called out some maids, who didn't bother to question their master about the situation, to clean her up, they then left the room.

"W-What happened to her?" Izawa stammered, closing his eyes as the sight of her blood body reappeared in his head. "Who… who did that to her?"

"Look Mamoru, I have no fucking idea! So stop asking me!" Genzou snapped, sitting on the couch and burying his head on his hands.

Izawa winced but didn't make the effort to sit down as well.

When they saw her, her clothes almost all red, her wounds more serious than what they were when she attended class, the boys couldn't help but feel guilty that they didn't notice she was being hurt before. They were mad at her of course, for making their minds spin on useless lies. Izawa's hands curled into fists. "So… they weren't accidents after all…" he said. Genzou nodded in silent agreement. "Someone was hurting her all this while… b-but… why would she hide it?" Izawa took a deep breath in and out just to release all his tension but they didn't help him much.

Yes, why would she hide it? This was exactly what Genzou was trying to unravel. From that time at their first visit at Krizzie's house, he knew something was wrong. By the way her moves were carefully manipulated, how differently she acted and how carefully she did her work… it just wasn't like her.

But then… Genzou had his doubts when he saw her only companion at home. Mr. Kurisaki seemed protective of his daughter… and he didn't seem the type to hurt his child… but who else could've done this to her?

Genzou clasped his hands together and growled. This whole charade is puzzling him. If it was her father, what was his motif? He wasn't a psycho, at least Genzou hoped he was not… and why the heck would Krizzie keep it secret? She sure as hell wasn't someone to back down. She was old enough to use the phone, wasn't she? So why the hell didn't she call the police! They could sue her father for this.

Was she scared that the beatings would go worse? But Krizzie was always taking risks. For one, she was always fighting with the faculty. And wasn't calling the police better than staying there and receiving torture? "I don't get it."

He turned to look at Izawa, who was looking at the door that had just opened. The maids began to walk out and Genzou stood up. They bowed to him. "So… how is she?"

"She's okay young master… but still unconscious. She has a lot of wounds… I think it would be best to call a doctor. She might have a fracture."

"Shit…" Genzou cursed before he sent the butler to call their family physician. The butler followed his order at once. Genzou, exhausted and irritated, plopped back down on the sofa, this time Izawa joined him, and turned on the TV.

"Hey… do you think we can go see her?" Izawa asked nervously. Genzou looked at his teammate, closed the telly before following Izawa to the guest room.

Krizzie was bandaged up and changed into clean clothes when they saw her for the second time that night.

"Why didn't she attend the dance?" Izawa asked scornfully. "Maybe if she attended… she wouldn't have gotten hurt."

Genzou looked at the sad expression on his teammate's face before he went over to the other side of the bed. Izawa grabbed a chair and sat down beside the girl. Genzou merely watched as Izawa took her hand and held it in his own. "She's so cold…" the forward said.

"She's practically dead…" Genzou muttered, leaning on the wall on the other side of the bed, his eyes looking at her pale skin and the way she would painfully suck in harsh breaths.

"Don't say that!" Izawa exclaimed, tightening his hold on her hand. Genzou noted with amusement that tears were running out of his dark eyes. "She…Sh-she would be okay! I know her!"

"Of course she would be okay Mamoru… our doctor is the best. He was the one who healed my soccer injuries after all. And look at me now." Genzou said proudly, even turning around to display himself to his friend.

Izawa looked at the side and muttered, "I wish he'd worked on your big head instead."

Through gritted teeth, Genzou ignored the comment and just decided to lean there and wait for the Kurisaki to wake up. Boy, does he have some questions for her tonight.

--

Pain,

For now, that was what she could only think of, the numbing feeling on her limbs and jolting sensation in her body. She could stand it before, but now it was more severe, more… frightening.

Fighting against the pain, Krizzie forced her eyes open. She felt someone holding her hand and briefly wondered who it was until her vision adjusted and she caught sight of a welcoming face.

"Krizzie!" Izawa exclaimed, trying to restrain himself from hugging her tight. "You're awake!"

"Izawa-kun…" Krizzie groaned before trying to sit up. A doctor went beside her and shook his head no. Krizzie scrunched up her face but let the elder man lay her down once more. Instead, she scanned her surroundings. She blinked. She was sure as hell this wasn't her house. "Where am I?"

"At my house." said a familiar voice. Krizzie turned to look behind the doctor to see the one and only SGGK.

Krizzie forced a rare smile. "Thanks Wakabayashi. Thanks Izawa…" then she passed out once more.

--

_**December 17, 2005 Saturday**_

_It was supposed to be rest day today, especially after the dance last night but here I am, with Izawa (who borrowed some of my clothes) taking care of the darn Kurisaki. I don't even know why the hell I'm doing this… okay, maybe I wanted to ask her some questions but she has been sleeping a lot lately and the doctor said not to disturb her. He also said to feed her every time she wakes up and clean her wounds if they ever start bleeding again. Which, thankfully, haven't happen yet. Izawa's sleeping, and I'm surprised he still haven't let go of her hand. _

Genzou heaved a sigh and placed the notebook on top of the dresser table before grabbing the chair the doctor previously sat and straddling it. He looked at Krizzie then faintly remembered Yuki. _Misaki's girlfriend._

Genzou stood up and shook Izawa awake. "Izawa! Hey! Shouldn't we go and tell the others about this?" Genzou asked.

Izawa opened his eyes and nodded drowsily. "Sure Genzou… call them…" Izawa said before falling asleep again.

Genzou nodded and stopped disturbing him. Izawa had been awake the whole night. They were alternating on guarding Krizzie and that night, while Genzou slept in his room, Izawa chose to guard the girl. Now it was his turn, but the stubborn forward still refused to go away, muttering things like Genzou would just ignore her and maybe do something idiotic. Genzou pretended not to hear anything, reasoning with himself that it was just the result of lack of sleep but not truly believing himself.

He went to his room and took his phone. Who was he going to call first? If things had been normal, he would've dialed Tamane's number but Yuki was somehow mad at him. He couldn't care to talk to Taro so he decided that Sanae would have to be the one… but then again he wanted to limit his visitors to three people… and Krizzie and Izawa were already here.

Genzou sighed, grabbed the wireless phone and returned to the guest room.

When he came back, Izawa had already washed his face and was stretching his muscles. Genzou tossed the phone to him. "Call Taro… then tell him to talk to Yuki."

"How about the others?" Izawa asked, already punching the numbers on the phone.

"I don't want a crowd." was Genzou's reply before plopping himself on chair Izawa used awhile ago. He looked at Krizzie, who still gave no signs of waking up before sighing again and going out to check for breakfast, just as he left, he heard Taro's faint voice on the other line.

"Taro… um… I'm here at Genzou's… K-Krizzie's here too." he heard Izawa mutter. Genzou decided to linger around to listen how his best friend delivered the news.

"Yeah… sorry about leaving you last night… um… yeah… why are we here?" Genzou pictured Izawa trying not to drop the phone. "Yeah… I was with Genzou last night… we found Krizzie…um… she…"

Genzou left.

--

It was a rude awakening.

And considering the magic that happened last night, it felt worse to Yuki Tamane. Imagine having the time of your life, sleeping peacefully for the first time since months, and then waking up to find out that your ex-best friend almost died.

She was still asleep when the phone rang. Groggily, her hands searched for it on top of her bedside table. Upon feeling it, Yuki sat up and answered it and brightened up when she heard Taro's smooth voice on the other line. At first, Taro had started a casual conversation and they talked about last night and strangely, the weather. That was when Taro shifted the subject to a more delicate topic.

"Um… are you getting along with Krizzie-san, Yuki?" Taro asked nervously.

Yuki's forehead creased and dreaded what was coming next. "Well, not really… but we weren't exactly killing each other… it was just a cooling down session."

Taro let out a nervous chuckle. "Um... okay, so you won't mind visiting her?"

Now Yuki was truly suspicious. She frowned and held the phone tighter. "Don't prolong this conversation anymore Taro-kun. Tell me what happened."

Taro sighed and Yuki could hear a faint shuffling of clothes on the other line. "Izawa just told me…"

--

For the next fifteen minutes, Yuki showered, brushed her teeth, got a black shirt and green skirt, grabbed her purse and combed her hair while running down the streets to meet Taro at a nearby coffee shop.

"_When they left the dance last night, Genzou and Izawa bumped into her."_

Yuki tried hard not to think about the guilt but felt it rushing all back as she waited for the traffic light to let her through the busy street.

"_So?" Yuki asked, one eyebrow shooting up. _

Once the light changed, Yuki dashed along the street and went straight towards the coffee shop._  
_

"_Yeah, Izawa said…" Taro trailed off. "Um… Krizzie was badly beaten up. Genzou had already called a doctor, who said Krizzie had some very serious injuries. She's still on critical but they didn't move her to the hospital."_

_If she wasn't so anxious to know what happened to her friend, Yuki would've dropped the phone. Instead, in a strained voice, she asked, "W-Why?"_

Yuki cursed when she dropped her bag, only realizing a minute later that someone pulled it from her. Turning, she glared at the snatcher and kicked him between the legs before running away. "I'm in absolutely no mood for thugs like you." she growled.

_Taro hesitated. "They said she might die…"_

--

Genzou was about to return to the room when he saw Izawa dashing down. "Taro said we could meet him and Yuki at the coffee shop!" he exclaimed.

"Why didn't you just tell them to come straight here?" Genzou asked in frustration.

Izawa blinked. "Oh… I didn't think of that."

Genzou growled and punched him on the head muttering, "Idiot."

"I'm sorry… I was just so scared…" Izawa apologized.

Genzou's featured softened before he sighed. "Fine, I'll go fetch the lovebirds and you stay here and take care of Kurisaki."

"I'm sorry Genzou, I know how much it hurts you."

Genzou looked at him before he completely disappeared from the door. "Whatever… just look after her."

Then he was gone.

--

When she got there, Taro was already nervously paying the cashier for his cup of coffee. Yuki ran up to him and bombarded him with millions of questions. Taro merely shrugged and said that they should just wait for Genzou and Izawa to arrive.

Yuki frowned. Genzou, another person she had been avoiding for the past days. Taro led her to a window table and they sat there, waiting. A minute later, sweating and tured out of his wits, Genzou arrived. He flashed them a silent glare before running out of the shop. The pair stood up and followed him. Taro left his half-full sup of coffee behind. The news was enough to keep him awake anyway.

"Why didn't you bring a car you dimwit?" Yuki hissed to Genzou while they ran towards his house.

"Well excuse me!" Genzou said with heavy sarcasm as he sprinted in front of them. "I wasn't even supposed to pick you up!"

"Where's Izawa?" Taro asked just to stop them from bickering.

"He's at home." Genzou replied through gritted teeth, having a strange impulse to hurt the midfielder. He tried his best to shove the feeling away. "He's looking after… Ku- Krizzie."

"I see."

"Whatever, just hurry up."

--

Pacing to and fro while sweating profusely was Izawa's state when they found him. He jumped on Genzou and began formulating incoherent sentences.

Genzou, tired and confused, grabbed his friend y the shoulders and began to shake him out of his insanity. "Calm down and tell me word per word what the fuck you are trying to say Mamoru."

Izawa took deep breaths and sat down on the chair, grabbing an offered drink by the butler and draining it all down. "Krizzie!" he finally exclaimed, not without tears slowly trickling down his pale face. "She ran away! SHE FUCKING RAN AWAY GENZOU!"


	11. Chapter 11

**Weird School, Same Weird Students**

**By: Krizzie**

**Summary:** School… when asked about it, most students say "Boring!" or "Yawn…" without any care at all. The hardworking ones say it's great and a great place to learn but a certain boy's view about it is different. For Genzou Wakabayashi, school is what you call… WEIRD.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Captain Tsubasa. It's as simple as that.

**AU** The happenings in this story do not match on the original storyline of the anime or manga. Obviously, since Genzou was a student in Nankatsu rather than in Shutetsu together with Shingo, Hajime, Teppei and Izawa. I hope you understand.

"Talking"

_Thoughts, flashbacks or Genzou's notebook entries _

SHOUTING OR EMPHASIZED WORDS

**(Small author notes)**

**Chapter 11**

Izawa started pacing back and forth again, muttering random accidents that might happen to their friend. He began stuttering and only calmed down when Genzou splashed cold water all over his face. Right now, he was at the bathroom cleaning up.

The skies were changing from their bright blue colors into gloomy grey. The three people in the living room couldn't help but feel worried.

"It's going to rain." Taro announced halfheartedly.

"State the obvious why don't you?" Genzou snapped, sending a glare at Taro. The midfielder rolled his eyes before he relaxed in his seat. Genzou stared at the skies and began to mutter obscenities under his breath. "If we don't find her, she might die in this weather. Damn it! Why did that girl run away anyway?"

Yuki began to worry and sipped from her orange juice. "Are you sure they're looking for her?" she asked Genzou for the tenth time, trying desperately to stop her hands from shaking.

Genzou glared at her. "I already told you that damn woman! Why can't you sit still for one fucking moment?" Genzou hissed, pacing around the room more furiously, even going in rhythm with Izawa a while ago.

Taro shifted in his seat before wiping his palms with his handkerchief. "Why did she run away anyway?"

"I don't know!" Genzou growled, almost having the urge to rip his hair out in frustration. "Ask Mamoru!"

Taro closed his mouth, getting the idea that Genzou was mad at him. He stared outside, the rain still hasn't fell, but he was sure it would anytime. It was as if it was taunting them. Taro sighed. _If she was on critical, how the hell did she manage to run away from Izawa and Genzou's servants? And wouldn't anybody notice a beaten up girl wandering in the streets. God… what if somebody kidnapped her? _He looked at Yuki and decided not to voice out his thoughts. She was worried enough already.

Izawa came out of the bathroom, holding a towel and wearing another Wakabayashi shirt. "Is she here yet?" he asked solemnly. When nobody attempted to answer him, Izawa sighed, placed the towel on the butler's waiting hands and went out.

"I'm going with you Mamoru!" Genzou exclaimed, stealing a look at Taro and Yuki. "You two stay here in case she comes back."

The pair nodded.

--

All that was missing was the rain and she would feel completely miserable. She looked up the skies and smiled weakly at the darkening clouds that hovered above her. It seems like the last element would be delivered soon. She didn't bother to seek shelter, even after feeling several drops of rain dripping on her. She walked across the sidewalk, ignoring the water splashed upon her by the cars that were driving by.

She wrapped her arms around herself and wandered aimlessly along the road. There were a few people, and most of them ignored her. She silently appreciated it, for at the moment, all she wanted was to be alone. She winced when she unconsciously squeezed her side. The pain was unbearable and she had no choice but to stop and rest on the park bench for a moment.

Her vision was getting blurrier by the second. She tried to wipe the water away from her eyes but the rain would always replace those she had taken out. She was out of breath but she refused to give up. A park bench was no place to die, she reasoned. If God was going to take her, she wanted it to be somewhere she appreciated. She cursed, her eyes almost couldn't take it anymore. She was working on pure willpower and was slowly being drained out of it.

If she doesn't get help soon, she was positive she would die right there and then.

But then again, she still had time. But considering her state, it wasn't much. She stood up, glad that her body was now almost fully numb. She almost couldn't feel the pain anymore. She smiled. So this was what they had described in the books she had read. This was the state beyond pain and suffering. She smiled, she liked it.

She saw the amusement park down the road, across the street and smiled weakly. _That would be a good place to die._ She checked the road for any signs of cars, and then slowly crossed the street.

Headlights flashed.

Engines roared.

Krizzie blinked, feet firmly planted on the ground.

"Krizzie!"

She turned around, and felt warn hands enveloping her, comforting her against the ruthless cold, before her foundation was broken and she was sent tumbling down across the rough road.

_She stared at the plain red book on the woman's slender hands and traced the gold lines that went through it. She looked up with a questioning gaze, to which a reply was always the same mysterious smile. She frowned. She needed none of that._

_It was a boring tragic story. She had to admit, she wouldn't have bothered to read it. Hell, she wouldn't even have bought it even at a low price. It was a complete waste of time._

The force of the impact was excruciating but her numbing body acknowledged little of it. All she saw was the face of the boy who she hadn't noticed. "Are you alright?" he mumbled, her eyes widened at the sight of blood appearing on his forehead. With trembling fingers, she reached out to touch it and felt the blood flowing from his forehead to her already wounded fingers.

She swallowed the lump on her throat with much difficulty before looking straight into his eyes, shge uttered the words she had never been sincere in saying her whole life. Maybe because of fear, most probably because of fear but this time, there was no hesitation, only regret and guilt for seeing someone she had not even noticed, suffer because of her. "I'm sorry." And this time, she knew, she believed, she truly meant it.

"'_kaa-san… what's so special about that book?"_

_Her mother smiled in her usual way before taking her daughter in her arms and showing her the picture of the girl in the story. "It shows the greatness of courage my dear."_

"_Is courage that important?" she asked, her amber orbs tracing the outline of the heroine, almost as if etching it in her own mind._

_Her mother only smiled._

She looked up and saw her father stepping out of the car. The pain was killing her but she stayed awake. _Just be brave…_ she told herself. She didn't want to slip into unconsciousness. The man looked at them before he went over to Izawa to kick him away.

"_Do you think I could be that brave someday?"_

"_Of course dear, I'm sure you would."_

Those were the last lines in her head, together with the image of the girl in the book as struggled with the last ounce of her strength and pushed the forward away from her father. The kick went straight to her back and Krizzie winced in pain. Izawa yelled out her name again but Krizzie only smiled and muttered a word of gratitude.

Izawa had never seen such a hopeless picture and such a cliché one too. She's dying and he couldn't do anything. He closed his eyes and glared at the man before he pushed himself up from the pavement he was falling in then sliding down to tackle the man's legs. He succeeded and went over to Krizzie who was already getting soaked by the pouring rain, heck she might have been wet for some time already! He shuddered at the sight of her blood mixing with the dark waters.

"Mamoru! Kurisaki!"

Izawa turned around with tears in his eyes. Krizzie looked at her father, then at the goalkeeper who was strangely a welcoming sight all of a sudden, not having the strength to even process the image in her mind. All she knew that at least, the pain would be gone… a little more and she would be free. She looked at Izawa, who enveloped her once again in his arms while sobbing lightly. He broke the embrace and gave her a reassuring smile. "You're going to be okay… I'm going to make sure of it." he said through the tears. Krizzie couldn't help but nod and smile back.

And then she closed her eyes, and she hoped, for the last time. Because she knew, if she had to face this again, she wouldn't be able to stand it. Tears slipped down. Her courage didn't match that of the girl's in the story. She didn't bother to read it, now she was able to admit, because of fear… that if she thought about the events actually happening, she wouldn't be able to stand it.

_Courage…_ she smiled bitterly, she had none of that.

**Thanks for your review for the last chap KBAP! **

**If there are too many grammatical mistakes, I'm sorry and just ignore it. I didn't spench much time in proofreading because of sudden inspiration rush! Two more chapters and this story's going to end! Reviews are appreciated!**

**Sayonara**

**Krizzie**


	12. Chapter 12

**Weird School, Same Weird Students**

**By: Krizzie**

**Summary:** School… when asked about it, most students say "Boring!" or "Yawn…" without any care at all. The hardworking ones say it's great and a great place to learn but a certain boy's view about it is different. For Genzou Wakabayashi, school is what you call… WEIRD.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Captain Tsubasa. It's as simple as that.

**AU** The happenings in this story do not match on the original storyline of the anime or manga. Obviously, since Genzou was a student in Nankatsu rather than in Shutetsu together with Shingo, Hajime, Teppei and Izawa. I hope you understand.

"Talking"

_Thoughts, flashbacks or Genzou's notebook entries _

SHOUTING OR EMPHASIZED WORDS

**(Small author notes)**

**Chapter 12**

A nightmare. If Izawa was given a chance to describe everything that has happened over the past few hours, that would have to be the closest word. But thinking about it, a nightmare would have been more tolerable. At least, in a nightmare, when you wake up, it would be all over. But this was real, and the blood really was flowing.

"Face it Izawa." Genzou had told him when he asked again and again if everything could be redone. "It happened." For a minute there, Genzou looked at him with tired, sad eyes, which Izawa could very much relate upon. Genzou continued, his eyes suddenly tailing that small bird that had made home in the tree just outside the window. "And you know what, for the first time in my life, I wish I was wrong. I wish I was wrong about her having a goddamn dark secret. I wish I wasn't aware that she was being hurt by that goddamn man all along… I wish I never got involved in this fucking mess." Izawa could only watch as the keeper fought back the tears. He thought about Krizzie, and how the girl had managed not to cry all that time.

"She's a fool." Genzou mentioned. "She's one goddamn fool."

Izawa, even though he didn't want to, silently agreed. Krizzie had millions of chances to put a stop to this, yet she didn't take on an opportunity. It was one idiotic thing to do, just sit there and let life take you anywhere it wants. Acting like a ship without a crew, what nonsense.

And running away when she herself knew she might not survive? That's not heroism, that's plain stupidity. "Why didn't she just say still?" Genzou muttered, staring at the double doors with his dark eyes. "If she did, things wouldn't have turned out this way… and there would be a higher chance for her to live."

"Maybe…" Izawa told his friend, forcing himself to forget his fears. "She had lost hope… maybe she just want to…" Izawa cracked. "D-Die..." The word seemed like a dangerous stranger at the moment, even though he knew it the word, like he knew a stranger is a human, there was still an eerie feeling that surrounded him every time he would say or even hear it. Especially now that one of the people he considered a friend was on the brink of it. It just seemed so unreal.

Genzou scoffed before he turned away from the doors and stared at Izawa. "If she had, then she fucking deserves what happened to her."

Izawa shook, he could have stopped her, yet he wasn't able to. He was right there when she woke up, and he was so happy that he felt paralyzed. Than just like that, she ran past him, to the kitchen then disappeared through the back door. The servants were just as surprised as Izawa was. Considering her condition, she couldn't have been able to run like that.

Yet, she did. And it really was something. Even at her state, Kurisaki never ceases to amaze him.

Izawa bit his lip as he remembered his last vision of her before she was taken into the emergency room. And then his mind wandered to the last events at the pouring rain smack dab in the middle of the street.

It almost killed him when he saw Krizzie taking her father's blow for him. What angered the forward most was the arrogant sneer on her father's pale face, and how smug he looked standing there, smirking and drenched with rain. Izawa almost fainted when he saw her blood flowing down with the rainwater.

Genzou, running towards them, his hair and clothes dripping, his eyes strangely agitated, and his mouth formed in an angry scowl, almost made Izawa cry. Especially after catching a glimpse of the gun that her father had suddenly taken from his coat pocket. And then, after a moment, out of instinct, he hugged her again and told her that she would be alright.

It was then that Krizzie had blacked out, whether it was due to her injuries, because of shock or because she plain wanted to, Izawa was too freaked out to notice. He only regained his composure when he saw her pistol and knife suddenly slip out of her pocket. He grabbed the gun and tossed it towards Genzou, who was on gunlock. The keeper caught it with his skilled hands and pointed the gun at Mr. Kurisaki, who thankfully, and stupidly I might add, hadn't shot while Genzou retrieved the tossed weapon.

Seeing the stalemate, Izawa gently placed Krizzie's head on the pavement, grabbed the knife and pressed it gently on Kurisaki's neck, muttering a threat as he did so.

He had been shaking, but thankfully, Krizzie's father hadn't noticed. Genzou chose the moment to act, and gathering all his guts, hit the guy with the gun's handle. He was out cold in a moment. Genzou grabbed his phone and called his butler. Yuki and Taro were ordered to go straight to the hospital and get the doctors ready. They were going to get Krizzie to that goddamn hospital whether the bitch liked it or not.

He gave the phone to Izawa and the forward called the police. Mr. Kurisaki wouldn't be touching his daughter anymore neither would he be able to hurt even one of her pale fingers, now bloodied by her injuries, the boys made sure of that.

Izawa hung up and immediately ran towards Krizzie. "Please don't die…" he whispered in her ear an. Wakabayashi could only watch until the ambulance came and gently pried Izawa off her. The police arrived seconds later to pick up what was left of that bastard Krizzie considered as her father.

Genzou's eyes narrowed as the police dragged the man to their vehicle.

"I'll get you boy, you haven't seen the last of me and neither has my daughter, I'll make sure you'll pay!" Kurisaki said hoarsely as he was dragged by two men in blue.

"You'll be dead soon so stop dreaming asshole." Genzou growled before he joined Izawa in the ambulance.

--

Genzou turned his head when he heard some screams at the end of the hallway. Dropping his pen and notebook at the bag he grabbed from his butler, he rushed to where the commotion came from.

He found Yuki being restrained by Taro from killing the doctor. He looked at Izawa, who was sitting on one of the bright orange chairs. Genzou noted that his eyes were staring aimlessly at the pastel white walls, and not even Yuki's shrill screams had shook him awake.

He wasn't surprised to see the tears slowly falling after another in his teammate's face, even with his blank face. Genzou knew that the inevitable had happened.

"What do you mean you can't do anything?" Yuki screamed, prying Taro's arms of her own and grabbing the poor man's white coat. Her hands shook but she kept her grip tight, she couldn't believe it, she WOULDN"T believe it. No matter what, Krizzie would HAVE to live!

"Y-Yuki…" Taro protested weakly, desperately trying to sustain her burst of anger.

"Please Taro-kun, let me deal with this!" Yuki told him, sending him a pleading look and waiting for his small nod before turning his attention back towards the doctor. Her anger flared up. "You're a fucking professional doctor that much you told us, and now you're telling me you can't do anything? What kind of a fucking doctor are you?"

The doctor nervously clutched the hands that were near to strangling him. "M-Miss T-Tamane… I… I-I-I'm af-afraid you're f–friend h-has practical… practically k-killed herself by… b-by d-d-drenching her… um… herself in the-the… the rain i-in h-her…. her c-c-condition… and her p-past state was bad en-enough a-a-a-already… I'm sorry to say, her time to live is limited. I-If I have… If I have to guess, the guaranteed maximum would b-be a w-w-week from now." He lowered his eyes. "Minimum is anytime before that week…" he said quietly, feeling Yuki's grip loosen around his neck. He looked away sadly.

Yuki dropped the man and collapsed on one of the chairs before looking at her boyfriend in shock. A week? One goddamn WEEK? And she could even die before then? Krizzie would be damn lucky if she still managed to live until Christmas!

The doctor stood up and frantically arranged his spectacles before sending another nervous glance at Yuki. "B-But if luck is on… on our s-s-side… well… Kurisaki-san might just live up to two months… but that would have a very l-low chance of happening."

Yuki clutched Taro's jacket. "B-But Krizzie had always taken risks… she could survive this one… right Taro-kun? She will live… she would, I know she would. You believe in her too right? Her stubbornness could match and injury… please tell me I'm right Taro-kun…" The young teen pleaded while she looked at Misaki's eyes, as if searching for an answer that she kenw would have been false but the young boy purposefully avoided her gaze, even if it pained him to do so. His grip on her shoulder tightened.

As tears silently slipped down from Yuki's emerald eyes, Taro managed a barely audible answer. "I don't know Yuki-chan… but I sure do hope she would."

**IMPORTANT QUESTION: would you like a straight flashback or just read the entries Wakabayashi wrote in his notebook? Please answer, I need it for several scenes in the next, and last, chapter.**

**Hey! Thanks for reading minna, and I hope you would spare the time to drop in a review. Next chapter's the last one! I apologize for the sudden short chapters, but it was VITAL to my planned tension-filled climax**

**Again, I want to thank KBAP for her reviews! **

**Preview of Chapter 13:**

Genzou turned the pages of his notebook with one last sigh… who would've known that his minuscule observations would've turned out into preserved memories that would've been a worthy story to read? And the most precious ones, he had finally admitted, were the ones that started ever since Kurisaki had entered in his life.

**Sayonara **

**Krizzie**


	13. Chapter 13

**Uh… hey. Um, I was pretty pissed with this story's ending and I decided to revise it. It was just so disturbing that I had to do it before I go nuts. Anyway, please enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own any part of CT, and I don't have any payment for this piece of garbage so don't you sue me!

**Chapter 13**

_**January 1, 2006 Sunday**_

_Happy New Year!_

_It was fun, I must admit. We bought fireworks, and by we, I mean the whole school. There was a celebration at Nankatsu and every student, staff, yes, that wretched nurse included, and even outsiders are invited. I'll tell you, it was quite spectacular, for lowlife standards, even with Fuuko clinging on my arm half the time. It lasted until midnight, well; actually, it started at midnight, with us waiting for five hours at the campus grounds before it started, and ended just like that, weird, but fantastic nonetheless._

_Yuki and Taro were gone before the fireworks ended and I have a vague idea where they went, that fancy French restaurant down the block, Yuki loves to go there, and it was New Year after all, time for a new start, and for them, it was the renewal of their relationship… since, well, I successfully broke them up and dated Yuki for a week, but it ended up quickly, we were not really compatible._

_Now I definitely don't believe in love. Compatibility, well, okay, but not love, NEVER LOVE, it doesn't exist I tell you, it really fucking doesn't. And I had the mistake once of believing it did. The stars are really quite a sight, and I'm at the living room of my house, resting and rejoicing the fact that it's New Year. A new start… yes, a fresh beginning…_

Genzou Wakabayashi sighed, dropped his tools and hid them under the couch when several knocks came at the door. Plastering a large smile on his face he went up to get it. There was nobody in the house but him, since he had sent all his servants for a one week vacation. He just felt like it, the old bastards deserve the rest.

He was greeted by the whole soccer team and the managers, except Taro, Izawa and Yuki that is. He grinned and let them in. Everyone cheered and placed the food they were assigned to on the table, and Genzou helped them organize the table. After a few arrangements, their own celebration began.

Sanae raised a glass, filled with the most expensive wine available on Genzou's stack. "For a prosperous new year everybody!"

And they had a toast.

--

By two o'clock, everyone was waving their goodbyes. Genzou forced a grin at Tsubasa as he closed the door behind them, sighing as he looked at the cold front door. He straightened up, went to the kitchen and picked up some of the trash and threw them at the bin before he washed his hands in the sink, deciding after a while to wash the dishes the next morning. He was much too fatigued from all the having fun.

Slowly, the SGGK went to the living room, switched on the television and took out his notebook and pen from under the chair. His eyes were concentrated on the screen the whole time, especially when the news announced that Kurisaki received a life sentence for child abuse and attempted murder. Genzou scoffed at that time saying, "Fucker deserves to die."

His slightly bruised and calloused hands grabbed the remote and closed the TV. Genzou sighed and took his notebook and pen to his room.

--

Her eyes carefully scanned the majestic place, as if pasting it forever in her memory before she idly returned her gaze towards the man she knows she would be happy to live the rest of her life. Her barely-restrained smile made her cheeks glow and she had to bite her lip from grinning maniacally.

"Taro-kun, thanks for taking me here." Yuki felt her cheeks heating up and tried to casually drink her wine. She smiled sheepishly. "Although I'm not really used to fancy restaurants…"

Taro pouted, his brown hair carefully combed out of his face just for the special event. "So… you don't like it?"

Yuki giggled and playfully pinched his nose. "No silly, I love it!" She scrutinized his outfit, taking into account the way he tried to look casual from the way he had unbuttoned the first button of his polo. He had put on a tie to make-up for it though, but she still thought he looked quite cute and examined herself on a nearby mirror, blinking at her petite figure clad in a dark purple dress, slits reaching just below her knees with glitters scattered irregularly on the lace fabric.

Taro smiled, took her hand and kissed it. Yuki flushed, before she abruptly turned her head towards him, smiling awkwardly. He returned it. And she felt her heart soar. Finally, she has snagged the heart of the man she loves.

Taro blinked at her dazed expression. "Yuki-chan?" She snapped out of her daydream, which mainly consisted of having a bungalow, Taro as her husband, children: a girl and a boy, in the countryside, when Taro smiled, took something from his pocket, went beside her and kneeled in one knee, and told her, "I love you Tamane Yuki, would you please do me the honor of marrying me?"

With everyone in the restaurant glancing with teasing looks, the red Yuki nodded, not entirely trusting her voice to say the most elegant response. Taro, who could barely contain his smile, took the diamond ring and slipped it on her finger. The ecstatic Yuki threw her arms around him and passionately kissed him to express just how happy she was.

Taro gladly returned the favor.

--

Genzou collapsed on the soft mattress once in his room and closed his eyes, his thoughts leading to the only person that has occupied his mind since that fateful day after the night of the dance. He groaned and sat up. He grabbed his notes and scanned through them, stopping at a certain page. He chuckled at his shaky handwriting before he read it, his mind replaying the moments like a remarkable movie. The twentieth of December… Izawa's birthday… boy, was that an exciting night.

He sighed and closed it again. Even without the goddamn notebook, the scenes were etched in his mind, haunting him. Genzou shuddered… but closed his eyes to remember the life-changing events that happened because of a certain black-haired girl's stupidity just the same. Heck, it was the first day of the year, a time to recall the events of the previous twelve months and reflect, but for the keeper, the only days that were worth of his memory were the last two months. He sighed.

Everything, from Yuki's enthusiastic announcement at the field, Kurisaki's first day of class, his teasing session with Izawa, the start of Kurisaki's mysterious wounds, that fucked-up nurse suddenly appearing at their classroom, the little almost kiss with Tamane, the start of his little creative charade to find out more about Kurisaki, the fight between Tamane and Kurisaki, the dance, seeing Kurisaki in the worse case scenario, taking care of her then taking care of her goddamn father.

"Gee, nice of that girl to give me some worthy memories…" Genzou released a dry chuckle. "I hope she's happy. She sure made my live one living hell." He smiled. "Oh well, at least she prepared me for my afterlife."

_The doctor looked sadly from the hysterical Yuki, to the guilty-looking Taro and Genzou and finally, to the dazed Izawa. "You could visit her… for twenty minutes max…" he said, lying through gritted teeth. They were only allowed ten minutes but the doctor thought, with Kurisaki dying every second, they should be given the privilege of even just longer time._

_He was surprised when Yuki furiously shook her head. "I… I don't think I could s-see her right now… maybe a little later. Taro-kun, p-please stay with me." she turned her pleading eyes to her boyfriend._

_Taro nodded, sitting beside her and kissing the top of her head. "I'll be with you all the way…" he said in a soothing tone._

_The doctor scanned the small group, and focused mainly on the shaking forward a mere distance away from him. "Well, if there isn't-"_

"_I want to visit her." Izawa said, standing up, his eyes glassy with an unreadable emotion that made even Genzou step back.. "I want to see her…" he told the doctor, trying in vain to stop his quivering body._

_He nodded and opened the door. Izawa entered, and after a lot of thinking, Genzou followed after him._

_Izawa blinked when he saw Krizzie, but then forced a smile. "You're awake." he stated, his tone betraying the heavy pain the pulled in his chest when he saw all the bandages and the wires. _

_Krizzie turned towards his direction and smiled back. Genzou noticed that both smiles were forced and strained but decided not to comment. He wanted Krizzie to have a good impression of him even at the last minutes of her life._

_Izawa sat down on the chair provided for visitors with Krizzie and Genzou watching his every move. "So…" he started, straddling the seat and leaning his arms and head on the backrest. "How are you feeling?" he asked._

_Krizzie rose and eyebrow and showed him the deep cuts._

_Izawa chuckled. "Okay, so you feel bad." he smiled brightly. "But I'm glad you're alive."_

_Krizzie turned away the shrugged. Genzou sighed and sat down on the bed beside her. This visit was pointless. Izawa was trying to show them that he was perfectly fine, Kurisaki was being silent and he was totally out of words to say. A sigh again escaped his lips. _

"_What's the matter Genzou?" Izawa asked, turning his head towards him. _

"_Krizzie, you do know you can die anytime now." Genzou said, avoiding her gaze but going straight to the point. Lingering around won't get them anywhere, he realized, Krizzie could die while they were hesitating._

_Krizzie smiled and nodded. When she noticed Genzou's frown, her smile widened. "Of course I know… the doctor hasn't told me, but I'm not dumb to know that my wounds are fatal…" she absent-mindedly fingered the white bandages, her fingers gently brushing on the faint redness that had managed to seep in. She smiled._

_Genzou smiled, at least she talked. His smile faltered however, when he noticed the agitated look on Izawa's face. "Then why'd you do it?" the young forward asked, shaking. "Why did you fucking run in the middle of the night during a goddamn rainstorm? If you hadn't done that, maybe you would have better chances of surviving…" _

_Krizzie managed another weak smile and moved further to reach for Izawa's hand. Izawa clutched her pale fingers. Krizzie smiled. "I wanted to be alone… I don't want your looks of pity…I've had enough of that in my life, I think it's time they stop, you know… I just…" she trailed off, her smile vanishing. Genzou and Izawa both stared at her sitting form. Izawa clutched her hand to urge her to go on. "I don't want your tears… It was very unfortunate that I had to run into you that night. I had thought you were having fun at the party-…"_

"_I wasn't." Izawa interrupted, scowling. "I was drowning my sorrows off on the buffet." Krizzie blinked, almost on disbelief before she stared at him quizzically._

_Genzou managed to laugh at her expression before he nodded in agreement. "Yup, he was a mad sour pie that night."_

_Krizzie giggled and that brought out a smile from both boys' face. "So," she continued, the bright smile still not leaving. "Who're your dates?" she looked at them with a teasing look which both boys quickly dismissed. It wasn't like their dates were women they had an eye on, on Genzou's case, and it wasn't like they had a date anyhow, considering Genzou left Fuuko after thirty minutes of a one-sided conversation and Izawa never bothered to ask anybody after that 'no' from Krizzie._

"_You went with Tooshime?" Krizzie asked incredulously after Genzou mumbled out Fuuko's name. "You honestly took that darn annoying woman to the dance? Genzou! I thought you had more brains that that! God! Only a fool would take her, and I mean that very seriously!"_

_Genzou scowled. "It wasn't like I had any choice in the matter… she was the only one who asked me."_

_Krizzie rolled her eyes. "Puh-leaze, you could've asked any other girl in the campus," Genzou opened his mouth to protest but Kurisaki silenced him with a glare. "EXCEPT Yuki. They would've ditched their dates immediately. Besides, if I was with your situation, I would have gone without a date or maybe abandon the dance completely!"_

"_Which you did." Genzou told her._

"_Exactly." Krizzie smiled._

"_Okay then genius, if I asked you, would you go?" he asked sarcastically._

_Krizzie smiled wider. "No."_

_Izawa grunted. "Get real Genzou. She rejected me." Genzou glared at the boy, realizing what he was trying to imply._

"_You don't honestly think you're fucking better than me, do you?" Genzou snapped, glaring at him. Izawa smirked and shrugged his shoulders casually, irking the goalie even more._

_They continued to chat about the dance for a while, and Genzou and Izawa noticed that Krizzie was smiling more often for the whole time they had known her, usually it would be a smirk and more often, a scowl, but today, she was actually smiling and even laughing at their lame jokes, even the doctor, who came to check after twenty minutes, decided to give them more time, Kurisaki deserved the happy memories after her disastrous voyage through life._

"_Izawa-kun!" Krizzie grinned, mostly at Izawa's expression at the added suffix before she continued.. "So, who did you go with?"_

_Izawa immediately frowned. "I told you, I had a date with the buffet table."_

_It was Krizzie's turn to frown. "Don't tell me you didn't ask any other girl besides me."_

_Izawa scoffed. "I could, but then I would be lying."_

_Krizzie slapped his hand playfully. "Honestly, Izawa."_

"_I told you, I was telling the goddamn truth!" Izawa exclaimed, exasperated._

_Krizzie smiled. "I'm flattered." Izawa flushed and looked anywhere but his companions in the room. Krizzie and Genzou laughed, and this time Izawa looked just to glare at them._

_There was a knock on the door and Genzou went to open it. Yuki and Taro entered, both with smiles in their faces. "I heard laughing, so I though you might feel good." Yuki said just as Genzou closed the door. The keeper returned beside Krizzie, holding the hand Izawa wasn't grasping protectively. No matter how much he wanted to, he can't help but feel hatred towards the new couple. And now that he found out he enjoyed Krizzie's company, he won't let Taro take her away too._

"_I'm good." Krizzie said and Genzou was surprised to see her lips in a straight line while her eyes scrutinized both of them. "It seems a lot have happened at the dance. I can't believe you two are dating." her lips formed a large grin and tilted her head in what she deemed was a cute angle. "And I believe you know Yuki… you do make a very cute couple."_

_Yuki blushed and clutched Taro's hand tighter. Taro squeezed her hand in assurance. He looked at the Kurisaki and they exchanged smiles, making Genzou and Izawa tighten their hold on her hand. "So Krizzie-san, do you think you have enough energy to get out of the hospital?"_

_Krizzie was glad it wasn't another 'are you okay' question; it was pretty obvious she was in pain. "No, I think I would stay here… until my time anyway. After that I would be at the basement." she pointed downwards._

_Everyone in the room lost their smiles, except Krizzie. Why did she always have to remind them she was dying? Maybe it was not to surprise them when she suddenly drops dead in the middle of their exchange… but thinking about her in the morgue made her friends cringe._

"_Krizzie," Izawa pleaded. He got up from the chair and went to the other side of the bed, so Krizzie was sitting between him and Genzou. He tightened his hold on her arms and Krizzie squeezed back affectionately. "Please don't say that." In response, the black-haired girl smiled and nodded. Genzou found it weird, that only when she was in a dying situation would she smile; and when she was happy and well would she always scowl. Usually, it would've been the other way around. But then again, considering her companionship at home, it wasn't much of a surprise either._

"_Krizzie, would you like something?" Yuki asked, trying to break the ice. Krizzie shook her head no. "Well, never mind, but I bought this for you on the way here…" Yuki took her bag and took out an eyeglass case. "I figured you must've broken your glasses, so I bought you one, I hope you like it." _

_Krizzie untangled her hands from Genzou and Izawa and took the gift with a smile. "Sure, I like it. Thanks Yuki." she opened the boxes and slipped it on, blinking occasionally before she grinned. "It's perfect… you actually look like a decent human being now!" she turned to the baffled keeper. "Especially you, Wakabayashi!" Genzou scowled._

_Yuki fought the urge to pummel her friend, focing her lips to maintain her cheerful smile. "Is it a truce now?"_

_Krizzie stopped from pinching Genzou's cheeks to turn to her. She blinked. "We were fighting?"_

_Yuki scowled, a vein suddenly twitching at her raised fist. At that moment, Yuki wanted to strangle her immediately. "Kurisaki…"_

"_Hn?" Krizzie asked. Yuki looked up and dropped her fist… considering the situation, dropped her murderous plans and smiled instead. Krizzie had decided to forget about the feud, she would just go along with the flow. After all, it was the best she could get out from her abnormally stubborn friend. "Hey Yuki…"_

"_Yeah?"_

_Krizzie smiled. "Would you do me a favor and get me some food, I'm starving!"_

_Yuki grinned. "Of course, California Maki?" Krizzie nodded and with that, Yuki grabbed her boyfriend's hand and began to dash outside, ignoring Krizzie's sudden warning of not making out while waiting for the food. Although those blushes on their faces proved they heard every word of it._

"_They seem really happy, don't you think so guys?" she asked her remaining visitors, smiling happily for her childhood friend._

"_Yeah, real happy…" Genzou said before he turned towards her. "Krizzie, does any of your wounds hurt really bad?"_

_Krizzie shook her head. "Not really, the moderate pain's forever there but the unbearable one's gone… I'm okay… half anyway."_

_Izawa sighed and began to entwine his fingers with hers. "Will you stay with me?" he asked, actual tears glistening in his eyes. "E-Even… even when you're not here in… f-flesh?"_

"_I'd be your personal guardian angel. But let's forget about my fucking situation for the moment and enjoy life for the time being…" Krizzie said with a smile before leaning in and giving him a peck on the cheek. "But seriously… after all you've done for me, you too Genzou, I wouldn't dare leave you guys… you were my best friends."_

"_How about Yuki?" Genzou asked nonchalantly, grinning inwardly. _

"_She is too, but there're times I don't feel like her friend at all… especially when she's mad or she's too obsessed with her personal interests… sometimes it's hard to have a friend very different from you. But still… she **is** my best friend, the best one I had since I was a child… even if I'm such a bitch sometimes, she still stood up for me, you can't find a lot of friends like that…" Krizzie mumbled before smiling so suddenly that Genzou and Izawa were caught off-guard. "Hey, can we have a group hug? You know, I've never done hugs since…since…" Krizzie scrunched up her face, trying to recall just when she last shared an embrace with someone. Finally, she sighed and threw her arms heavenward in exasperation. "Since I don't fucking remember."_

_Izawa grinned and pointed his thumb at himself. "Hey! I hugged you a couple of times already!" he exclaimed, quire proudly._

_Krizzie rolled her eyes. "Right, when I was half-asleep. C'mon guys, a group hug! It's not like I'm asking you to kiss me Genzou so don't look so freakin' horrified." _

_Genzou scoffed and looked away but leaned in three seconds later and wrapped his hands around Krizzie and Izawa. After a while, they tightened the embrace._

"_I love you guys." Krizzie muttered before giving them a last squeeze and pulling away. The boys did the same and the three exchanged smiles before exploding with full blown laughter._

_Then, Krizzie smirked, pulled Izawa's coat from the chair and dashed outside, taking the two with her. She winked at the doctor on the way and it took approximately one minute for the medical crew to realize that one of their patients just ran away from them._

_The scruffy doctor cursed. "Damn, I knew I should've stuck with the facility rules." _

_--_

_Genzou glared at her, arms folded across his chest. "You DO know that by running away from the hospital, you have decreased your possible time on earth."_

_Krizzie nodded nonchalantly while drinking her glass of water. "Yes, I'm aware of that Wakabayashi, but I absolutely detest hospitals."_

_Genzou's glare intensified. "Whether you hate it or not is out of the question, this is about your fucking survival!"_

_Krizzie grinned widely. "I'm sorry!"_

_Genzou sighed, knowing that the girl didn't mean it at all. "Fine, but right now, get some sleep, it's getting pretty late." He smiled, _at least she was cheerful_, he reasoned. This was the only time he saw her grinning; maybe her situation wasn't that bad after all. It made him realize just how human Krizzie really is._

_Krizzie smiled and went to the guest room to get some shut-eye. After a second of hesitation, Izawa went to make sure she won't run away again, since she had done that twice already. Genzou grabbed his phone to apologize to the hospital and tell Yuki and Taro that Krizzie's alright, and maybe send that maki over to his house, he could use some food. Krizzie was sleeping anyway._

_--_

_The next morning, the three of them were gathered up on the dining table. _

"_Hey, can we pass by my house?" Krizzie asked, playing with her peas._

_Genzou looked at her then back at his breakfast. "No."_

"_Come on Wakabayashi! If you take me there, I would ignore the fact you stole the food Yuki-chan brought me yesterday."_

_Genzou rolled his eyes. "No. I could easily buy you a fresh new box if you like."_

"_Pleeeeeeease Genzou!" she pouted and batted her eyelashes at him. Genzou's eye twitched but Krizzie merely continued in her best imitation of a puppy dog face… which, to say frankly, wasn't very much of a copy at all. "Besides, Yuki picks the food more carefully!"_

"_FUCKSAKES, I SAID NO KURISAKI!"_

_Izawa watched the exchange from beside Krizzie. In instinct, he made a grab for her hand. Krizzie looked at him in surprise before smiling. This only made Izawa tighten his hold on her. Krizzie shook her head and pulled her hand away from his grasp before looking at Genzou, trying once again to make him give in. _

"_C'mon Gen-kun," Krizzie pleaded, pouting. Genzou glared at her. She frowned, thinking about anything that would make him break down. Finally she had the answer. Smiling, she asked, "Can't you grant a dying woman her wish?" This statement sent her weird glances from everyone in the house, and even resulted to a pair of broken glasses._

_Genzou grunted before he went to his room to retrieve his keys. Krizzie smiled and asked Izawa to get her a coat._

Genzou opened his eyes at the sound of the phone ringing. He grabbed for it and smiled at the voice. It was Taro, and the midfielder was ecstatic. "Hey Genzou! This is Taro… guess what?"

"You discovered about Tsubasa and Sanae's engagement?" he guessed, smiling. True, the two had years more before their marriage, but both seemed happy.

"They're engaged?" Taro asked. Genzou slapped his forehead. He felt like running out of his mansion and thwacking the brown-haired guy on the head using his phone. And you thought you knew an idiot when you see one.

"Duh Misaki, don't tell me you didn't notice that shiny ring on Sanae's hand. She shows it off to Kumi everyday!" _Jeez, couples are too caught up with each other to notice about everyone else. I bet that if I call Yuki before Taro does, she would say she doesn't know about Oozora's engagement either… and she's one of the fucking bridesmaids!_ Genzou massaged his temples.

"Well, anyway… Yuki said YES! Can you believe it? She said yes! We're getting married! I have a fiancée!"

Genzou rolled his eyes. "Yes, I do, can you believe it? I do! Anyway Misaki, of COURSE the bitch would say yes, she's got a crush on you since like… since forever! Anyway, aren't you too young to get married?"

"Well, Tsubasa and Sanae are getting married, though I only knew now, besides, we're just engaged! We won't get married until we finished college. And don't call her such things Genzou."

"Tsh… whatever Misaki. Anyway, that's a pretty long commitment. You sure you can do it? But considering you… I'm sure you would. You really love her."

"A lot Genzou. I love her a pretty whole lot."

"I'm sure you do. Now if you don't mind, I'm doing my new year's resolutions."

"You actually do that?"

"I fucking do, now goodbye." Genzou hung up before the love-filled midfielder could say anything more. Lying wasn't really a trait of the keeper, but he needed Taro out of his ear. He just wanted to relax for now. He grabbed the notebook and read his entry the day after they escaped Kurisaki from the hospital.

_**December 18, 2005 Sunday**_

_The two are asleep, Kurisaki's at the guest room and Mamoru sleeping in a couch beside her. Honestly, Izawa's becoming a fucking paranoid. I don't think Kurisaki would die just like that. She's at her best! Maybe she would even reach that two month limit the doctor mentioned, and maybe she would even survive this whole fucking tragedy that had befallen her, okay, that sounded weird. Oh well, I guess that happens when you spend the day with Kurisaki, now that she's acting more like Yuki anyway. It actually suits her… Okay, anyway, I'm rambling. We went to Kurisaki's house, much to my chagrin, but I just don't want Kurisaki to lose her smile… I like I, but I won't dare give her the liberty to know. So we went in, she took a key from inside a hidden slot in the mailbox and we entered. And for the first time, I was able to see Kurisaki's room. It was a neat, not immaculate like Misaki's… but still neat, although there were scattered pencils and papers on her study table. A couple of books stacked under it and a red book on her night table. She smiled and entered, we followed soon after and Izawa kept on looking at the pictures of her parents on the wall. He asked Krizzie about it and she only replied with a smile. After that, she took the red book from the table and told us that we could leave, she got what she wanted. And so we left, and that's practically it… I don't know what that book was for, I asked her, but she wouldn't tell me… she just told me to read it if she didn't have the chance to tell me before she died. And then she went to play some games with Mamoru._

The phone rang, and Genzou placed his notebook beside him on top of the covers and crawled across his king-sized bed towards the phone on the nightstand.

"Hello?" he greeted, placing the receiver beside his ear. He slammed it down a few seconds later. "Damn prank calls." He hissed before taking the notebook again and started reading his next entry.

_**December 19, 2005 Monday**_

_Deep shit. That's where I am. Know why? Kurisaki found about my damn snooping business. I was just away to get her some painkillers and she slipped into my room, noticed my notebook in the dresser, the first one cause I got the new one under my pillow, and read it! And Izawa was there with her! She didn't destroy my things though, and I was thankful for that. The two of them were actually enjoying reading it! Well, I better be glad for that. I actually thought she would kill me! Well, Izawa found out about it earlier, and there's not much on Kurisaki on the old notebook, so I guess it was pretty safe anyway. But still, I did receive some minor beatings wrapped with humiliation… when Mamoru read about my flirting session with Yuki, he burst out laughing, Kurisaki just smirked, I have a feeling she knew about it all along. Come to think about it, Misaki mentioned having a fellow witness… could it be Kurisaki? Most probably… Oh well, right now, those two are at the living room, watching the "Thirteen Ghosts" and having reactions the other way around. It was Mamoru who was freaking out, and Kurisaki who was laughing like a fucking idiot. Oh well, I guess weird runs in the school, Kurisaki's been infected and for all I know, I might be too._

--

"Death is a natural thing. Deal with it."

I've repeated the goddamn phrase over and over again in my head ever since those stupid nightmares started. It was the one phrase they all told me. Letters, voice mails, whispers in the night, I can't stand it anymore! And then I heard the evening news say that he was just going to sleep in the prison for the rest of his life. What's up with that? Doesn't Kurisaki deserve to die?

I walked along the hallways, they were empty, unbelievably, and a few lights were on. It was cold and my jacket wasn't doing much to give me warmth, and my hands were going numb. That wasn't exactly what I expected. I better finish this off soon.

I slowly took my hands from my pockets and stared aimlessly at them. They were pale. Even with a hazy mind, I could tell they were going to be frostbitten and second should I stay here any longer and if I remained in these hallways without anything to warm me up, I may die… but then again, death is a natural thing. What was my reason to live anyway? I shoved my hands in my pockets after rubbing them together. The time to die isn't now; I still have something to do.

The cold metal against my fingers gave me comfort. I didn't know why but they made me feel safe… happy. I guess this was my only solace left in this world. Even soccer didn't give me much interest these days. Sucks I know… but hey, that's my life. I let my fingers trace the engraving, and felt a smile form in my lips. This was the only thing bringing me back to reality, stirred with blinding rage that I never knew I could possess. I took it out, ran towards him once I caught sight of him sleeping and plunged the dagger into his heart. The blood splattered, tainting my clothes, my face, my hands and a sadistic smirk appeared in my lips. Yes, revenge is sweet.

--

"This is crazy…" Genzou sighed as he raked his fingers though his hair and enjoyed the cool breeze that kept them waving crazily over his head. He rolled up the window of his car and stepped out.

After rereading his entries, he had realized he needed some time to think, reflect on the last few events and sooth his raging emotions. He walked aimlessly for a few moments, kicking a few stray pebbles every now and then.

Genzou stopped at a local convenience shop and entered, buying a soda and a bag of chips before he left. The store wasn't crowded, and there was only the cashier, the manager, an old lady who was buying some medicine, a child buying candy and a man in a business suit purchasing the newspaper and some coffee.

He went back to his car and enjoyed the air-conditioning it provided. The store was broke, that much he could tell. It was like the Sahara desert inside, and the crew was too stupid to think about opening the windows. He opened his food and began to chew slowly before relaxing on his seat. Should he visit Mamoru? The guy was alone in New Year… that wasn't really nice. Genzou smiled, took a sip of his cold drink and started his trip.

--

His breathing was rigid and the only thing that he could register in his mind was that he had just taken somebody's life. He dropped his hands, which he made sure was gloved and prodded himself for injuries. A drop of DNA in the place would give him away. And he began to think that he was lucky it was cool… a drop of sweat might do it all. After making sure nobody saw him, he took his bag, took out a cloth, used it to wipe the weapon and the soles of his shoes before he went outside through the window, making very sure nobody caught even a glimpse of him. He would wash his clothes, take a bath and he was innocent. As simple as that.

His bed was only a walking distance away anyway.

--

Genzou pulled over at the parking lot and climbed up on the elevator. The building was quite empty. Maybe it was because it was a holiday, but it really didn't matter anyways.

He stopped at the eighth floor and went to the room close to the fire exit. He knocked, no answer. He leaned closer and heard the sound of flowing water._ Mamoru is in the bathroom._

He knocked on the door again. "Mamoru! It's your friend… Genzou."

The water stopped and Genzou heard tentative footsteps approach the door. The knob turned and the door slowly creaked open. Izawa stuck his head out and Genzou caught a whiff off something metallic. "Hey." Izawa greeted, not bothering to unlock the chains. Genzou raised an eyebrow.

"Are they going to release you soon?" Genzou asked. He pointed at the door but Izawa won't get out of the way. His left eyebrow shot up higher. "Aren't you going to let me in?" he asked instead.

Izawa looked away, choosing to answer the first question. "They said I'm okay, just in trauma, but okay… they…they're going to let me out tomorrow."

Genzou smiled. "That's good, then."

Izawa gulped. "Um… Genzou, you could keep a secret… right?" he asked, looking at him with soft, pleading eyes. Genzou blinked, but nevertheless, nodded his head. Izawa looked at the corridors before he opened the door to let his friend in. Then he locked the door.

Genzou's eyes widened as he caught sight of the blood in the sink. He looked at the now smirking Izawa with a questioning gaze.

"He's gone… he's gone…" he repeated, eyes widening as he stared aimlessly at the blood. He turned his eyes to Genzou. "Her father's gone." Izawa mumbled, smiling happily. "Krizzie's going to be happy… she's with me man… she saw me."

"Mamoru…" Genzou said in disbelief. "Don't tell me you fucking killed Kurisaki!" he hissed, shaking Izawa. He really had lost it.

"I would…" Izawa said with a smile. "But then, I would be lying."

Genzou dropped Izawa on the floor, and at the same time, let his bag slide down his shoulder and glide towards the forward and out came Krizzie's pistol and his notebook, opened at the twentieth of December.

"So you're still doing it?" Izawa asked, smiling. He slowly picked up the notebook and scanned it carefully, releasing a dry chuckle as he realized what the contents are. He looked at Genzou. "Are you going to write this down as well?"

"Mamoru! You're insane!" Genzou exclaimed, trying not to be heard in the hospital. "How… H-How could you kill a man?"

"I am insane, that's why you sent me to this fucking hospital in the first place right Genzou? You all thought I was going wacko, lost my mind… went nuts, gone bananas and whatever term you would like to fucking put it." Izawa hissed before he went to the bathroom and took his now blood-free dagger. Genzou recognized it as Krizzie's weapon. He can't believe it. Izawa fucking killed Krizzie's father using her own dagger. That was… plain crazy! "Stop his heart from beating Genzou… that's all it takes."

Genzou shook his head in disbelief. He knew Izawa was in grief, that was no secret in everyone, but this was way overboard. This was not weird, insane, that's more like it. He never knew Izawa was capable of killing someone… no fucking way!

"Mamoru… tell me you're lying." Genzou said in an attempt to erase the knowledge. Izawa was his best friend!

Izawa smirked. "Just wait for the news… this would be broadcasted nationwide soon enough." then the forward laughed. Much to Genzou's disbelief, his best friend laughed, the empty sound echoing amongst the four walls of the room. The keeper collapsed on his knees and looked at his notebook. He can't believe this is happening. And he had reason to believe this was all Krizzie Kurisaki's fault. _And it was all because of the event during Mamoru's birthday… fuck it._

"_Genzou…" Krizzie growled when she only received a groan in response. "Genzou, wake the fuck up!"_

_The goalkeeper groggily forced his right eye open, only to see Kurisaki, clad in his small pajamas, kneeling on the bed beside him. He grabbed his comforter and threw it over his head, his reply coming out muffled. "What the hell do you want Kurisaki?"_

_Krizzie scowled before she went over to the foot of the bed and pulled the cover off him. "It's Mamoru's birthday…" she reminded him, hands on her hips, the comforter pooled in insane twists at her feet._

_Genzou propped himself on his elbows and looked at her. "So?"_

_She narrowed her eyes. "We've got to celebrate you halfwit!" she snapped. "And we better do it before Mamoru waked up."_

_Genzou sat up, rubbed his eyes then glared at her. "The guy's a teenager, you don't honestly think he would want a childish party to be thrown for his freaking birthday?"_

"_You're just saying that because no one celebrated YOUR birthday." Krizzie huffed. "Come on…" she checked her watch and groaned. "It's 5:30 already! I wasted fifteen minutes waking you up!" she looked at him._

"_No way."_

_Krizzie pouted before she at on the foot of the bed, grinning widely. "Well… if you do this…um… I promise not to bother you for one WHOLE day!"_

_Genzou's eyes narrowed. "And if I don't?"_

"_You go on a one-night cruise to Hokkaido with Fuuko!"_

_Genzou dashed towards the bathroom to get ready, leaving the Kurisaki grinning maniacally on the foot of his bed._

_--_

"_Stop wiggling, would you?"_

_Genzou flashed the girl a glare as she continued to fix his tie and arrange the collar of his suit. "I'm **not **a child. I don't need you to do such things for me."_

_Krizzie rolled her eyes as she fixed her outfit herself; A dark polo shirt with a dark blue tie around her neck and black pants and boots. She stretched her arms and twirled around. "What do you think?"_

"_You look like a cross-dresser." he deadpanned._

_Krizzie punched him lightly on the arm before she pulled back a lock of hair behind her ear. "It's not my fault there isn't any formal attire for women in this mansion." she grumbled. "Besides, I like this more than I like gowns."_

"_It is your fault." Genzou said. "You were the one who insisted for a formal party. By the way, have you called the guests?" He looked at the clock. "Mamoru's bound to get suspicious about being locked in his room pretty soon."_

"_What?" Krizzie hissed. "You mean you haven't called them yet? You're such a stupid eejit, you know that?" she dashed to the phone and dialed Yuki's number, invited her, told her to tell the other girls and tell the girls to tell their boyfriends then call her boyfriend herself. After that, she proceeded to call the single soccer players._

"_Nice one Kurisaki."_

"_Shut up Wakabayashi."_

_--_

_After twelve o'clock, they have finally managed to open the ruffled soccer player's door and let him out, shouting surprise while huddling on the small hallway. Izawa just blinked, then grinned. "Uh… thanks… I guess."_

_They had a few games, ate what food Genzou and Krizzie had managed to come up with for such a short time and gave their last-minute presents to Izawa before leaving with a few blessings. Izawa showed them out before looking quizzically at Krizzie and Genzou. "Uh… nice clothes guys."_

"_Thanks!" Krizzie exclaimed before pulling proudly on the collar of her suit. "It does suit me… doesn't it."_

"_We were the one ones wearing formal attire, dimwit!"_

"_Shut up Wakabayashi." She looked back at Izawa and forced a smile. "Well, I'll go change upstairs… okay?"_

"_Sure." the two boys chorused._

_--_

"_She's taking a while… isn't she?" Izawa muttered after ten minutes. Normally, Krizzie would be done after five. He looked questioningly at Genzou. "You don't think…"_

_The two dashed towards the guest room._

_--_

_Izawa' eyes widened, his hands going limp from where he had clutched themselves on the doorframe. He looked at Genzou then back at the girl whose blood was littering the whole room. _

_Krizzie looked up from the blade she was clutching in her hands towards them. "Hey guys…" she made a weird noise, the blood coming generously out of her mouth. She wiped them with the back of her hand. "S-Sorry for making such a mess…"_

_Genzou walked over towards her and kneeled down, ignoring the blood the was drenching his suit. Krizzie noticed it though and shook her head. "That's expensive W-Wakabayashi… I… don't stain it. I hung mine inside the closet." He could tell she was trying hard not to stutter, though the blood that was obviously collecting in her throat was already causing her to make gurgling sound._

_Izawa ran towards her and leaned her on the bed. "K-Krizzie… why's you do it?" he asked slowly… "Why?"_

_Krizzie grinned, the red liquid staining her teeth. "M-maybe I'm just curious on to what hell looks like." she looked at Genzou. _

"_Shut up." the keeper demanded. "SHUT THE FUCK UP!" he clutched the collar of her stained shirt and raised her up as high as his conscience would allow. "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING, HUH?"_

"_I… I slit my wrist." she said, as if it was the most casual thing in the world, struggling to breath from the pain and the firm grasp on her shirt. "Let go of me Wakabayashi."_

"_You're going to die…" Izawa muttered. "You're really going to die."_

"_Will you just fucking stop pointing out the obvious?" Krizzie yelled at him before she punched Genzou on the face. Ignoring the blood, she walked over to her desk and pulled out two carefully wrapped boxes. "Here, a birthday gift for both of you guys."_

_Genzou grunted before he snatched the parcel off her hands. Krizzie glared at him before she took the dagger from the floor and wiped it on the sheets. She handed it to Izawa and gave him the second package._

"_Your pistol." Genzou said blankly as he looked at the weapon. "You're seriously giving it to me?"_

"_Yeah." Krizzie replied, coughing more fiercely. The blood came out harshly from her throat. The boys ignored it._

_Izawa opened the box and found her red book. "I don't like stories."_

"_I don't care." Krizzie snapped before she laid down on the soft bed. "Well… I think I'm blacking out."_

"_You want to be cremated?" Genzou asked._

"_Sure." she paused. "Then throw me at the beach… she… I would like that."_

"_You getting dizzy?"_

"_Yup… I can't see anything." Genzou went over, and placed his cap on her head. Izawa did the same, removing his sports watch from his wrist and attacking it on her own wrist. "Thanks."_

"_Goodbye." both boys said._

"_Yeah… bye."_

"Your writing's shaky." Izawa commented, lifting my notes from the floor and reading it again. He threw the notebook to me after. "She died… didn't she? And we could only watch… I love her so much…" Tears once again slipped from Izawa's eyes. "She was the only girl that bothered to pay attention to me. My best friend. Tell me Genzou, why did she have to die?"

I shrugged. "Izawa, clean up." I told him. He looked at me and gave me a confused glance. "I don't want you to get caught. I'm going back here tomorrow to pick you up."

He smiled and nodded. We were in this together. I already lost Krizzie, I won't lose Izawa too. I helped him clean up the blood from his bag. We hair dried it, so it wouldn't so suspicious and I took the dagger home. There was nothing linking us to the crime except the motive. But we have an airtight alibi. We were at the hospital. And the weapon? They wouldn't ever find it.

_It's already a few years after Kurisaki's suicide. _

_Time sure passes by fast. I'm still single, if that's what you're thinking. We just graduated from college last year. We were the only ones who knew what really happened to her. The police had her on the records of missing persons._

Izawa plopped down on my bed, staring at the ceiling. He turned to me with a bitter smile. "You know, if she was alive… I would've asked her to be my girlfriend."

I smirked. "I would've asked her to marry me." I joked. Izawa shot me a glare. I smirked back. "You're slow Izawa."

"So are you." he snapped back before relaxing on the mattress. "You know we're the only remaining single guys in the team."

"I was born single and I would die single." I told him, satisfied with the notion at the moment. I was happy living with Izawa. But who knows… somebody just might stumble in front of me one day.

"Me too… You know, if Krizzie was here. She would've enjoyed staying with us, don't you think? We would be the best circle of friends!" he beamed.

I smiled sadly. "Yeah…"

We both gave each other sympathetic looks. It was pathetic really but we have to remind ourselves she wouldn't ever return from the dead. Izawa sat up and grabbed his bag, taking out the red book Krizzie game him.

"You know, I never opened this book." he told me, looking at the red and gold cover. "It looks pretty boring."

"Well, let's read it now. Maybe a little sacrifice wouldn't hurt." I told him. He nodded before going back to his bedroom then returning with a picture frame. He settled it on my nightstand. It was Krizzie's picture, the one Izawa took from the house before the government tore it up, because of the numerous debts her father owed. Izawa took every single one of Krizzie's pictures. Why not? She didn't give us a single one. Besides, there were only at least three pictures of her at that house. The one he got was taken at Nankatsu. I don't know who took it or when but it didn't really matter.

"Okay, so the three of us are here. Let's began our story time!" It was lame, really but I let him do it. He only did this at certain times anyway. He opened the book and began to read. I listened and began to frown after every chapter. The story seemed so similar to Krizzie's…

_A girl born into a family that never wanted her. A girl struggling to be accepted in society. A girl who had been living in a fantasy all her life…_

"That's it." Izawa said after we read the story for one and a half hour. "Hey, you noticed it's quite like Krizzie's story? Well, except the ending's a happy one. The girl escaped from her father, found the love of her life, got married and made sure her children never suffered." he summarized, placing his index finger under his chin thoughtfully.

I nodded, totally agreeing. The story of a brave girl facing life's challenges… who would've known…

"Hey… there's something written on the back…" Izawa then looked at the blank pages at the very end of the book. "I think this is her handwriting."

I grabbed the book from Izawa and we read it together. So Krizzie wrote something for us… how… sweet? Was this considered sweet? I have absolutely no idea.

"_Izawa-kun, Genzou-kun, I might already be gone some time when you read this. I just want to thank you for everything. My last minutes on earth were the best ones I've ever lived… and I thank you for that. I would just ask you not to forget me… even when you have your own families. I love you guys very much. Tell Yuki for me. Man, this letter is crap. I can't even write a farewell letter properly. Damn._"

Izawa and I smiled then we exchanged smirks before reading the rest of the note.

"_Anyway, don't you dare forget me or I'll show up in your bed, transparent and stuff like in those friggin' movies, okay? I don't really know exactly what to say… hehehe… I suck at this. If you have read the story… I just want you to know, this was the book my mother often read to me. And I always wondered if I was brave enough to be like the heroine in the story… but as you might be thinking, I'm not… I'm really not. I don't care if you fucking think I'm a dork Wakabayashi so keep it to yourself. When I die, I'll always be with you. Heck, I might be with you right this minute you're reading it! Again, I love you guys. Izawa, take care of this book, okay? And my dagger too, I love that. And Genzou, you could practice shooting with my pistol just take very good care of it. The things I gave you were very precious to me._"

Then Izawa smirked and pointed at her post script.

"P.S. IF you have the guts, kill my father for me, I wasn't able to do it before because he was always one step ahead of me. But now that he's in prison, it would be easy… but don't you fucking get caught."

Izawa closed the red book and hugged it close, trying to remember every single detail of their friend. He looked at the keeper.

Genzou turned the pages of his notebook with one last sigh… who would've known that his minuscule observations would've turned out into preserved memories that would've been a worthy story to read? And the most precious ones, he had finally admitted, were the ones that started ever since Kurisaki had entered in his life.

They shared mischievous glances. Sure they were already old and were expected to be wiser… but did it hurt to return to the crazy teen you were back at junior high?


End file.
